Mad About Herbs

I love calendula flowers; they are such a lovely cheerful colour which brightens any area in which they grow. They also have fantastic skin healing properties; antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory.

A poultice of the flowers can be used to help relieve stings, eczema, impetigo, burns, scalds, varicose veins, bruises, sores, boils, pulled muscles and more.

If you look at some of the skin healing creams or balms in the shops, you will see that a lot of them contain an extract of calendula.

Description

A hardy annual with daisy-like, single or double yellow or orange flowers from June to October. Leaves are light green and aromatic.

Site: Any free draining soil, prefers a sunny position

Height and Spread: 50cm to 70cm

How to grow, harvest and use calendula

Sow seeds either in pots under cover in the autumn then plant out in late spring after the risk of frost has gone, spacing them out 30 to 45cm apart. Alternatively, sow seeds outside (or in containers) in late spring, but protect from slugs.

Dead head flowers regularly to encourage more flowers. It self-seeds readily. Pinch out growing tips if growing in a container to stop it getting too tall.

Parts used

Flower petals with white ‘heel’ removed, young tender leaves.

Harvesting

Pick flowers as soon as they open during the summer. Pick leaves when young and tender for use in salads.

Household/skincare uses

Dry flowers at a low temperature for use in pot pourri, bath teas, herbal tea, skincare products or culinary use. An infusion of the flower petals can be used to clear up spots and nourish the skin.

Ornamental

Calendula is a cheerful addition to the garden and combines well with other plants eg feverfew, fennel, dill and rosemary. The dried petals can be used to add colour to pot pourri.

The photo below is one of my favourite  herby flower combinations: rosemary and calendula.  It looks and smells great and is so simple but effective.

Culinary Uses

The fresh or dried petals can and have been used in the past as a substitute for saffron. They give a golden colour and subtle flavour to soups, custards, rice, cookies and omelettes, milk desserts and the petals can be added to salads. I’ve used the petals in a fairy cake mixture as well

The young leaves have a slightly peppery taste and can be also be added to salads.

If using fresh petals or young leaves, wash them and use immediately.

Also ensure you have correctly identifed the plant, it should be Calendula officinalis (Pot Marigold) and not Tagetes which is used in a totally different way.

I sowed my calendula seeds a couple of weeks ago and  the new shoots are just coming up. I’m trialling starting them off in pots and transplanting them later to try and give them a better chance against any slugs!

If you want to know how to make Marigold cream (and tincture) which is  good for relieving inflamed or itchy skin, you can read the Herb Society’s article here.

Alternatively, you could just stick them in a vase because they look so pretty!

Copyright 2011  Madeleine Giddens

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Basil seedlings

Hopefully you are soon planning to sow some seeds for your annual herbs (indoors to start with) if you like to grow your own. I’m hoping this article isn’t too basic for you too but there are a wide range of visitors to this website and we all have to start somewhere. If you want a really detailed guide, try Jekka McVicar’s book – Seeds: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed

Here are a few tips and some information for you:

Seeds need four things to germinate: moisture, air, light and the correct temperature.

1. Moisture.  The compost or soil surface should not dry out especially with tiny seeds.  To prevent this you can place a piece of glass or clear plastic or even a clear plastic bag over the pot or tray to help keep moisture in.  However, as soon as the seedlings appear you need to remove it to prevent ‘damping off’ which is when the seed/seedling goes mouldy or starts to rot due to excessive moisture.

2.  Air – A young plant needs some air near its roots so make sure that seeds are not sown in compacted or waterlogged soil.

3.  Light – Many seeds need light to germinate.  A general rule of thumb is to cover the seed with compost up to the depth of the seed.  However, very fine seed eg basil, sweet marjoram, poppy, primula, thyme and yarrow need lots of light to germinate so are best left uncovered; just press the seed into the moist compost.

4.  Correct Temperature.  Herbs from hotter climates usually require temperatures of between 15 to 21 degrees centigrade, the exception to this is lavender which germinates best at a lower temperature (4 to 10 degrees centigrade).

Seeds native to colder climates such as northern Europe and north America can germinate at temperatures between 5 to 13 degrees centigrade.  Again there is an exception to this which is parsley which needs a much higher temperature (18 to 21 degrees centigrade).  Rosemary needs an even higher temperature (27 to 32 degrees centigrade) which is why it is simpler to either buy a young plant or grow it from cuttings.

You can re-create this heat by placing containers in a warm spot eg near a heater or on a heating mat in a propagator or in a greenhouse once the weather is warmer.  Apparently, some people even put seed trays on top of their tumble dryer!

Seeds can be sown in trays or pots or direct into the ground; the seed packet will be more precise.  Seed trays are good for starting off seeds because they help to prevent overcrowding of seedlings and excessive moisture around their roots, however if the plants are ones that dislike having their roots disturbed eg basil, coriander and dill then their seeds are best either sown direct into the ground where they are to grow or into root trainers/plug trays/pots to minimise root disturbance when/if replanting.  You can of course recycle some plastic containers as long as you make some drainage holes in the base of them.

So the basic steps are:

1.  If you don’t have your own supplies, buy seed from a reputable supplier (see the list on my blog here for online suppliers) or purchase from your local garden centre.

2.  Fill the container with seed compost leaving a gap of approximately 2 to 3 cm from the rim, firm down gently, water thoroughly, sow the seeds, cover lightly with compost (sieved if necessary) and water lightly with the fine rose of a watering can or use a spray mister. If desired, place some kind of clear cover over the pot.

3.  Check moisture levels daily and remove plastic cover as soon as seedlings appear.

4.  Thin out seedlings as necessary.

5.  Gently transplant seedlings from seed trays into pots once the first set of true leaves appear (pricking out) or leave in root trainer containers until large enough to plant out or transfer into  a larger pot or into the garden once the risk of frost has passed.

If you have any tips of your own, feel free to leave a comment below.

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