If you are looking at a medicinal garden kit, the useful question is not whether it is good - it is whether the herbs inside will grow where you live, and whether you will actually use them.
| Herb | Traditionally used for | Perennial? |
|---|---|---|
| Chamomile | Sleep, digestion | Self-seeds |
| Calendula | Skin, as an oil or salve | Self-seeds |
| Echinacea | Colds | Yes (slow) |
| Lavender | Wind-down, drying | Yes |
| Lemon balm | Anxiety, sleep | Yes (spreads) |
| Marshmallow | Dry coughs | Yes (tall) |
| Feverfew | Headaches | Self-seeds |
| Yarrow | Traditional wound herb | Yes |
| Purple coneflower | Ornamental and medicinal | Yes |
There is a fuller description of each, including spacing and use, in the nine medicinal garden plants worth growing.
If you are planning the bed from scratch, the notes in medicinal garden layout cover sun, grouping and leaving room to dry the harvest.
If drying is the part you are unsure about, how to dry herbs at home has the temperatures, times per herb, and how to tell when they are properly dry.
For the caveats in more detail, including germination and climate, see the full review.
Usually chamomile, calendula, echinacea, lavender, lemon balm, marshmallow, feverfew, yarrow and purple coneflower, plus a planting and use guide.
About a 1m x 2m bed, or 8-10 medium pots. Tall species like marshmallow need a permanent spot at the back.
Most are. Chamomile, calendula and feverfew also self-seed, so the bed fills out on its own after year one.
Most in spring once the soil warms. Chamomile and calendula can be sown successionally through summer.
The kit itself: Medicinal Garden Kit (seed plus planting and use guide).
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