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Medicinal Garden Bed Plan

Victoria Siegel

I have been using various plants in my projects, and want to plant my own garden to infuse my own oils naturally.

My homework based on the research (In January)

  • January

    • Visit Alden Lane Nursery (Livermore)

      • Buy organic Rosemary plant

    • Order nasturtium + calendula seeds online

  • February

    • Start seeds indoors: calendula, chamomile, marigold

  • March (PERFECT timing) to plant everything!

    • start basil seedlings indoors (plant in May)

  • April-May

    • plant Basil seedlings, (annual), plant once nights are 50°F+

    • Add squash for blossoms

Growing Herbs in Danville, CA

Climate: Zone 9b - Mediterranean climate = PERFECT for herbs year round!

Garden Centers:

  • Alden Lane Nursery (Livermore) - 15 min away

    • Excellent herb selection

    • Organic options

    • Knowledgeable staff

  • Sloat Garden Center (multiple Bay Area locations)

    • Great starter plants

    • Seasonal herbs

  • The Gardener (Berkeley/Healdsburg)

    • Heirloom varieties

    • High-quality plants

Online Seed Companies:

Best for California Gardeners:

  • Renee's Garden Seeds (reneesgardencom)

    • California-based

    • Tested for CA climate

    • Excellent germination

  • Botanical Interests (botanicalinterests.com)

    • Organic options

    • Detailed growing info

    • Good for beginners

  • Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com)

    • Huge variety

    • Heirloom/non-GMO

    • Edible flowers!

  • Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)

    • Professional quality

    • Great for herbs

Best Herbs for Danville, CA Climate:

Perennials (Plant Once, Harvest Forever): Plant as Seedlings

  • Rosemary, year round planting

  • Lavender, Fall or Spring

  • Sage, Spring/Fall, Easy, drought-tolerant

  • Thyme, Spring/Fall, Ground cover

  • Oregano, Spring, Spreads like crazy

  • Mint, Spring, PLANT IN POT (invasive!)

Danville Planting Calendar by Month:

🌱 JANUARY (Winter)

Plant:

  • Sweet pea seeds (for spring blooms)

  • Bare root roses (best month!)

  • Snapdragon seedlings

🌱 FEBRUARY (Late Winter)

Plant:

  • Calendula seeds

  • Chamomile seeds

  • Dianthus seeds

  • Bachelor's button seeds

  • Cilantro seeds (still cool enough)

  • Snapdragon seedlings

  • Viola/pansy seedlings

🌱 MARCH (Early Spring) - BUSY MONTH!

Plant:

  • Nasturtium seeds ⭐

  • Borage seeds

  • Marigold seeds

  • Sunflower seeds

  • Basil seedlings (wait until nights are 50°F+)

  • Lavender seedlings

  • Rosemary seedlings

  • All herb seedlings

🌱 APRIL (Spring)

Plant:

  • Continue nasturtium, borage, marigold

  • Squash seeds (for blossoms)

  • Basil seeds now warm enough

  • Sunflower seeds

🌱 MAY (Late Spring)

Plant:

  • Last chance for warm-season flowers

  • Basil (thrives in heat)

  • Squash blossoms

🌱 JUNE-AUGUST (Summer)

Plant:

  • Not ideal for planting (too hot for most)

  • Maintain existing plants

  • Harvest herbs and flowers!

🌱 SEPTEMBER (Early Fall) - SECOND PLANTING SEASON!

Plant:

  • Nasturtium seeds (fall crop) ⭐

  • Calendula seeds

  • Chamomile seeds

  • Bachelor's button seeds

  • Cilantro seeds (loves cool weather)

  • Viola/pansy seedlings

  • Borage seeds

🌱 OCTOBER (Fall)

Plant:

  • Violas/pansies (peak planting)

  • Sweet pea seeds

  • Cilantro

  • Lettuce (bonus edible leaves!)

🌱 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER (Winter)

Plant:

  • Sweet pea seeds (last chance)

  • Bare root roses (Dec-Jan best)

  • Plan next year's garden!

Quick Start: Your First Edible Flower Garden (March 2026)

Buy These Seeds NOW (March is PERFECT):

  1. Nasturtium - Easiest, most reliable, beautiful

  2. Calendula - Medicinal + edible

  3. Borage - Bees LOVE it, gorgeous blue flowers

  4. Marigold - Pest control + edible

Buy These Seedlings NOW:

  1. Rosemary - Perennial, use fresh in soap!

  2. Lavender - Perennial, soap + cooking

  3. Basil - Use all summer

Total cost: ~$25-30

Best Edible Flowers for YOUR Projects:

For Soap/Skincare:

  • Calendula ⭐ (anti-inflammatory, you already use powder!)

  • Lavender (calming, aromatic)

  • Rose (luxurious, skin-soothing)

  • Chamomile (gentle, soothing)

For Cooking/Garnish:

  • Nasturtium (salads, vinegar, capers!)

  • Borage (freeze in ice cubes, gorgeous)

  • Violas (cake decoration, salads)

  • Squash blossoms (stuff and fry - delicious!)

For Tea:

  • Chamomile

  • Lavender

  • Rose

  • Calendula

Using Fresh Herbs in Soap vs. Essential Oil:

Reality check:

Fresh herbs in soap:

  • Beautiful aesthetically

  • Minimal scent (most dissipates)

  • Can turn brown/moldy if not dried first

  • Better as decoration than for therapeutic properties

For skincare benefits:

  • Make infused oils with fresh/dried herbs

  • Steep 4-6 weeks in carrier oil

  • Use infused oil in soap recipe

  • You get the herbal benefits without the browning

For scent:

  • Essential oils are 100x more concentrated

  • Would need POUNDS of fresh rosemary to match 10g EO

  • EO is more practical for soap

Best use of fresh garden herbs:

  • Dry them

  • Make herbal infusions for liquid portion of soap

  • Make infused oils

  • Decoration on top of soap (looks pretty!)

DIY Drip Irrigation (Easy to Remove):

What you need:

  • Hose timer ($25-40) - attaches to outdoor spigot

  • 1/2" drip tubing (50-100 ft roll, $20-30)

  • Drip emitters or soaker hose ($15-25)

  • Stakes to hold tubing in place

Setup:

  1. Run tubing from spigot to garden area (on top of rocks - not buried!)

  2. Loop tubing through/around containers or beds

  3. Set timer: 15-30 min daily in morning

  4. When you move: coil up tubing, take with you!

Total cost: $60-100
Installation time: 1-2 hours
Removal time: 30 minutes



Plants that LOVE full sun (6-8+ hours): ✓ Rosemary - THRIVES
✓ Lavender - THRIVES
✓ Sage - THRIVES
✓ Thyme - THRIVES
✓ Nasturtium - Loves it
✓ Calendula - Loves it
✓ Marigold - Loves it
✓ Squash - Needs it!




Marshmallow Root Tea

Marshmallow Root Tea
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