My favorite herb so far has been Calendula. I have found so many things that Calendula has helped with, and it is a really pretty flower!

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Chuck and Jeannette Burnett

Gosh- so many herbs!  It really depends on how much space you have in the beds.  I keep adding beds and I still don’t have as much space as I’d like. 🙂  I agree that calendula is a must have.  Garlic, oregano, sage and thyme are great ones to have on hand for food and strong medicine.  I also love yarrow, marshmallow and chamomile.

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Chuck and Jeannette Burnett

Russ, I’d encourage you to get some perennial herbs going. Peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, catnip, oregano, sage, thyme, marshmallow, feverfew, echinacea, etc… You plant once and are done (provided they get the care they need). They survive my cold NH climate and come back every Spring, and they might not even die back in your Florida climate! You can fill in with annuals like Calendula, chamomile, basil, Holy basil, etc… Many of these types are self-seeding, so once you get them going, they will keep coming back. You might want to plant the mint types in a pot or bucket to keep them from taking over your beds completely! It will help you to make a list of the things you want your herbs for, like immune-boosting, or digestive support, etc…and that will help you to decide what you want to grow. This list can change every year. Sometimes I grow certain annual herbs, harvest them, and make enough of a tincture that will last us forever. Next year, I grow other annuals and do the same thing. Don’t let it overwhelm you and enjoy your herb garden adventure!

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Helen Pirtle, TresMarie, Christy Tattersall, Chuck and Jeannette Burnett

Russ, Thanks for asking this question. As beginners ourselves it’s overwhelming as to where to start. We do raised beds and for us space is a premium. We will need to think outside the box to make this a success. We are looking forward to this journey as well as excited to learn more from you all.

Russel,

Did you view the info by Dr. Jones on how to make a raised bed?  He favors “Hugo-culture”<——  (My paraphrase for Hugelkultur)

I’ve been using our raised beds for a few years to grow medicinal herbs, and other veg. What I noticed first is that many herbs prefer and thrive in native soil instead of the composted healthy, living soil that vegetables love. So knowing the herb’s habitat helps. By moving some herbs to the side landscape area instead of the raised beds, they suddenly thrived. Another helpful thing is knowing your growing zone and understanding what will and won’t grow well there. That’ll save some money on seeds, and let you know what is better bought as a tincture or in dried bulk herbs. For example, mullein and marshmallow don’t grow near me, so I buy those. But echinacea, garlic, lemon balm, and cayenne are some that thrive here. And making sure to plant them at the right time is also very helpful. For example, I live in NE Texas, zone 8a – if I try to get seeds to germinate before March, I might as well expect them to do geometry too – because neither’s gonna happen, LOL! But by starting seed after the last frost date (which you can look up by your city or zip code), you’ve got the best likelihood of starting seed. Just a few ideas from my master gardener info. 🙂

Have a look at the Herbal gardening section Russell. There’s some good info there.

Herbal Gardening

This is good too:

Herbal Gardening: What Works At Doc’s Place