t's that time of year where all of us gardeners, homesteaders, farmers, etc pull out their seed packets and charts. We start around January, reviewing what we did in years past and what we want to see this year. From our dream plant wish list to the yearly necessities (tomatoes, basil, etc), we are always learning, planning, and doing.
This year I am going to keep it scaled back. I will be focusing on maximizing my raised beds vegetable yields, some container gardening, and really finessing my herb garden. As a master herbalist, I don't just grow herbs for culinary purposes but as medicine also. Why You Need a Medicinal Garden
First, it's always nice to be as connected to your food/medicine's origin source as possible. Less processing and direct sourcing can be more beneficial to the product's quality and potency. Also, there's something healing in itself when you are connected to your food and medicine as you nurture it and cultivate it from the Earth for yourself. This can cause us to be more appreciative of it, less wasteful, and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Second, having it almost guaranteed and on demand is more desireable than heading to the store just to find they may not have what you need. It's no secret that supply shortages have hit almost country wide. I went to the Dollar Store a few weeks back and saw that the shelves were starting to look more bare. They usually have an entire row just for cough drops and surprisingly there were about only 5 bags available. This can be due to any number of reasons:
A few years ago the majority of the population would scoff at us "preppers", now more of them are warming up to the idea. So, what can you do to start preparing and protecting yourself against the risk of not finding what or how much you need at the store? Sure, cough drops don't grow on trees but I can tell you what herbs to grow to make your own cough drops from. That's why y'all follow me, right? 
For best results, grow chamomile in full sun.
Top 10 Herbs to Plant This Year!
If I'm being real with y'all, it was hard narrowing it down to only ten. While each of these herbs may share a medicinal virtue or two, I chose each one specifically for one purpose that it is strongest for (which I will list first in the medicinal uses).
Let's get started!
Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Peppermint Mentha piperita L.
Yarrow Achillea millefolium
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla
Daisy
Bellis perennis
Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium
Horehound Marrubium vulgare
Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium
Garlic Allium sativum
Are you going to plant your first herb garden this year? Or perhaps you already have one but are missing some herbs from this list, will you add them to your plans? Comment below and let me know if you plan on doing this!
Wanting to process them after you've grown them? Check out this blog post for drying herbs, and this one for storing them! 
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Author: Tina PotterMaster Herbalist, I've graduated as an American Healthcare College Alumnus, I've become a member of American Herbalist Guild and author of survivalist series Survival Ember co-authored by professional survivalist Kenny Dietrich of Ashland, KY. I've been beyond blessed with the constant desire to learn and teach. COMMON SENSE NOTICE: I do not claim to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. What you do with the information I post is up to you, but it is advised to consult with a doctor before acting on alternative methods of medicine. I wish you all the best!
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