Easy Herbs

START YOUR GARDEN SMALL WITH JUST A FEW COMMON MIRACLE WORKERS, AND GO FROM THERE.

- DAWN COMBS & LISA MUNNIKSMA

When it comes to growing herbs, it's easy to want to start growing everything you read about. However, as many overeager gardeners have learned, it's easy for your garden to get out of control and that's not sustainable for your sanity.

As you get your feet wet with medicinals, there are a few herbs you'll definitely want to have by your side. These herbs are safe to use on a regular basis, they're easy to grow, and most of your preparations will include at least one of them. In short, these plants are well-loved for a reason, so get your herb garden off to a healthy start by planting them first.

CHAMOMILE

Chamomile is a flower in the Asteraceae family, making it a relative of the daisy. It's noted for its cheery yellow-and-white flowers, lacy foliage and pineapple scent. There are two types of chamomile to grow: Roman (Chamaemelum nobile) and German (Matricaria recutita). Despite their different scientific names, both varieties are used interchangeably.

GROW IT Harvesting chamomile is usually a summer pastime, though if you're lucky, you may get a few plants that continue to bloom through a fall frost. Typically, it's the flowers you'll harvest, but the leaves are also collected in some parts of the world for therapeutic use.

If you keep your patch picked daily, it will continue to bloom all summer long. In any given patch, the flowers don't all bloom at the same time. This is the real challenge of chamomile. Each bloom must be picked at its peak if you want the best benefit and flavor, and this takes a lot of time.

Harvest chamomile flowers in the morning after the dew has evaporated but before the sun is high. Select the flowers that are nearly open, pinch the stalk just below the flower head, and pop off the bloom. Collect them in a tightly woven basket.