How to Start Your First Medicinal Herb Garden (in Pots!)

Tired of paying $7 for a box of chamomile tea? You can grow your own healing herbs on your porch—no green thumb required.

You stand in the tea aisle, doing the math. Another box of chamomile, a bottle of echinacea tincture, maybe a jar of salve. It adds up. Then you imagine sunlight on clay pots, the scent of lemon balm on your fingertips, and the quiet pride of brewing tea from herbs you grew yourself. That’s the vision: five little pots, one small space, a big step toward self-sufficiency.

You don’t need acreage or experience—just curiosity, soil, and a sunny spot.

Start Small, Grow Smart

Why Pots?

Container gardening is perfect for beginners. You can grow a complete herbal apothecary on your patio, porch, or even a sunny kitchen windowsill. Pots keep herbs under control and within reach—no digging required. Plus, you can move them around as you learn what works best in your space.

Meet Your First Five Healing Herbs

These five herbs are forgiving, useful, and grow beautifully in containers:

Chamomile — Calm in a cup. German chamomile grows easily from seed and produces abundant flowers all summer. One pot can supply months of bedtime tea.

Lemon Balm — Your stress-relief ally with a cheerful citrus scent. This perennial comes back year after year, spreading good cheer and gentle calm.

Calendula — Those bright orange blooms aren’t just pretty—they’re medicine. Perfect for making healing salves and skin-soothing teas.

Peppermint — The digestive helper that practically grows itself. Fresh peppermint tea beats the store-bought version every time.

Thyme — Hardy, fragrant, and surprisingly powerful. This little herb supports immune health and thrives on neglect.

In six weeks, you could be sipping your first homegrown tea. One calendula plant can fill your salve jar for months. A single packet of seeds replaces boxes and boxes of store-bought herbs.

When Your Medicine Grows Beside Your Morning Coffee

Picture this: You step outside with your morning mug. The lemon balm releases its scent as you brush past. Golden calendula petals catch the light. You pinch a few leaves of peppermint for later, knowing exactly where they came from, how they grew.

This isn’t just about saving money (though you will). It’s about the quiet satisfaction of tending something useful. The pride when a friend asks about your sore throat remedy and you can say, “I grew the thyme myself.” The confidence that comes from knowing exactly what’s in your cup or salve—no mystery ingredients, no plastic packaging, just simple herbs you nurtured from seed.

“I started with five pots on my patio,” says one home herbalist. “Now my pantry smells like summer, even in January.”

Grow Your First Healing Garden — Step by Step

Below you’ll find everything you need to start your first container apothecary garden, from choosing pots to harvesting your first handful of herbs.

1. Choosing Your Containers

Not all pots are created equal, and each herb has its preferences:

Choosing a container size

• Chamomile: 6–8 inches wide (they stay compact)
• Lemon Balm: 10–12 inches (gives roots room to spread)
• Calendula: 8–10 inches (supports their bushy growth)
• Peppermint: 12 inches minimum, always alone (this enthusiastic grower will take over any shared space)
• Thyme: 6–8 inches (perfect for this drought-tolerant herb)

You can also start with small containers and repot later when the plant has filled the space.

Choosing container materials

Clay pots breathe well but dry out faster—great for thyme, tricky for thirsty peppermint. Plastic retains moisture and weighs less if you need to move pots around. Ceramic looks lovely on your porch but must have drainage holes.

Speaking of drainage—this is non-negotiable. Every pot needs holes at the bottom. Add a layer of gravel or broken pottery shards to keep roots from sitting in water.

Keep your pots where you’ll actually use them. That sunny spot by the kitchen door? Perfect. You’re more likely to harvest and tend herbs you see every day.

2. Potting Mix & Soil Basics

Garden soil is too heavy for containers—it compacts and drowns roots. Instead, create a light, fluffy mix that drains well but holds some moisture.

Simple recipe: Mix 2 parts organic potting soil, 1 part compost, and 1 part perlite or coarse sand. This gives herbs the drainage they crave while providing gentle nutrition.

Most herbs prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.5–7.5), but don’t stress about testing. A quality potting mix usually falls in this range. If you want to give your herbs a boost, add a handful of slow-release organic fertilizer when planting—then you can mostly forget about feeding for the season.

3. Sunlight & Placement

Before you plant anything, spend a day watching how sunlight moves across your space. Most herbs are sun lovers, but some tolerate shade better than others.

Full sun lovers (6+ hours): Calendula and thyme absolutely need bright light. They’ll sulk in shade.

Flexible friends: Chamomile handles full sun but appreciates afternoon shade in hot climates. Lemon balm and peppermint actually prefer some protection from intense afternoon sun—their leaves can scorch.

No perfect sunny spot? Work with what you have. A bright patio that gets 4–5 hours of direct light can still grow herbs—just expect slightly less vigorous growth. You can even bounce light using white walls or reflective surfaces to brighten shadier corners.

Rotate your pots every few days so all sides get light. Your herbs will grow more evenly and won’t lean toward the sun like they’re doing yoga.

4. Planting Your Herbs

Starting from seed saves money and gives you more variety, but it requires patience. Here’s how to give each herb its best start:

Prepare your pots: Fill with pre-moistened potting mix, leaving about an inch of space at the top. The soil should feel like a wrung-out sponge—moist but not dripping.

Sowing seeds

Chamomile — These tiny seeds need light to germinate. Simply sprinkle them on the soil surface and press gently. They’ll sprout in 7–14 days if kept moist. (See our full guide on growing chamomile.)

Lemon Balm — Press seeds lightly into the soil, barely covering them. Expect sprouting in 7–10 days at room temperature. (See our full guide on growing lemon balm.)

Calendula — Plant ¼ inch deep, cover gently. These eager growers pop up in 5–15 days. (See our full guide on growing chamomile.)

Peppermint — Peppermint is a hybrid and won’t grow true from seed! You’ll need to obtain peppermint from a cutting or nursery plant. (See our full guide on growing peppermint.)

Thyme — Press seeds onto the soil surface and mist to keep moist. Be patient—thyme can take 14–21 days to germinate. (See our full guide on growing thyme.)

Label everything! A popsicle stick with the plant name and date works fine. Trust me, all seedlings look alike at first.

Shortcut option: Skip seeds and buy small plants from a nursery. Gently loosen the roots before transplanting, and plant at the same depth they were growing. You’ll harvest weeks sooner.

5. Watering & Care

The biggest mistake new herb gardeners make? Overwatering. Herbs aren’t houseplants—they don’t want constant moisture.

Water deeply but infrequently. Check the top inch of soil with your finger. Dry? Time to water. Still moist? Wait a day. When you do water, soak the pot until water runs out the drainage holes, then let it drain completely.

Morning watering is best—it gives plants all day to dry off, preventing fungal problems.

Every 3–4 weeks during growing season, feed with diluted liquid fertilizer or compost tea. Half-strength is plenty—herbs grown in rich soil lose flavor intensity.

Keep plants productive: Pinch off flower buds on lemon balm and peppermint to keep leaves coming. Let chamomile and calendula bloom (that’s what you’re harvesting!), but deadhead spent flowers. Trim thyme regularly to keep it bushy.

See aphids or spider mites? Don’t panic. A strong spray of water knocks them off, or use insecticidal soap for stubborn infestations. Most herb pests are more annoying than dangerous.

6. Harvesting & Drying

Timing matters for the best flavor and potency:

Chamomile — Pick flower heads when the white petals start to turn downward. Morning harvest after dew dries gives you the most essential oils.

Lemon Balm & Peppermint — Cut stems just before flowering for maximum flavor. Take no more than one-third of the plant at once.

Calendula — Pick flowers every 2–3 days once blooming starts. The more you pick, the more they produce. Harvest when fully open.

Thyme — Snip sprigs anytime once established, but flavor peaks right before flowering.

Drying methods

The simplest way: tie small bundles with string and hang upside down in a warm, dry spot out of direct sun. Most herbs dry in 1–2 weeks.

For faster results, spread herbs on a screen or baking sheet in a single layer. A food dehydrator on its lowest setting works great for humid climates.

Herbs are ready when they crumble easily but still retain color. Store in labeled glass jars away from light. Date everything—herbs lose potency after a year.

How to Dry Herbs — Full Guide

7. Using Your Herbs

Now for the fun part—turning your harvest into medicine:

Simple starter recipes:

Calming tea blend: Mix equal parts dried chamomile flowers and lemon balm leaves. Use 1 teaspoon per cup of hot water, steep 5 minutes. See our full Hot Infusions Guide.

Calendula salve: Fill a jar with dried calendula petals, cover with olive oil, let sit 4 weeks. Strain and mix with melted beeswax. See our full Salves & Balms Guide.

Steam for congestion: Add fresh peppermint and thyme to a bowl of hot water. Tent your head with a towel and breathe deeply.

Thyme honey: Stir fresh thyme into raw honey, let infuse for a week. Perfect for sore throats. See our full Syrup Guide.

Herbal Preparation Guides Hub — teas, tinctures, salves, and more

8. Common Pitfalls & Fixes

Even experienced gardeners face challenges. Here’s how to troubleshoot:

Yellow leaves? Usually overwatering. Let soil dry out more between waterings.

Leggy, sparse growth? Not enough sun. Move to a brighter spot or prune to encourage bushiness.

Herbs bolting to seed quickly? Too much heat or stress. Provide afternoon shade and keep soil evenly moist.

Pot-bound plants? If water runs straight through or roots circle the drainage holes, time to repot into a container 2 inches larger.

Winter survival: Before first frost, move pots to a protected spot. Perennials like thyme and lemon balm can overwinter with some mulch on top. Bring tender herbs indoors to a sunny window, or take cuttings to start fresh next spring. Find your local first frost dates here.

9. Next Steps — Your Garden Is Growing!

Your herbs are planted, labeled, and reaching toward the sun. You’ve built something small but powerful: a living apothecary right outside your kitchen door.

Soon you’ll be pinching leaves for tea, gathering petals for salve, and feeling that quiet pride that comes from growing your own medicine. No more plastic-wrapped herbs from who-knows-where. No more wondering what’s really in that expensive tincture.

This is just the beginning. Once you see how easy it is to grow these five herbs, you might add echinacea for immune support, or lavender for relaxation, or sage for throat soothers. But for now, focus on these five. Get to know them. Learn their rhythms.

Your morning cup of homegrown chamomile tea is just weeks away.

Ready to turn your harvest into herbal remedies? Learn how to make teas, tinctures, salves, and more with our step-by-step Herbal Preparation Guides.

Learn how to use your herbs!