9 Easy Medicinal Herb Garden Plants Every Beginner Should Grow
You love the idea of growing your own herbs for teas, salves, and everyday wellness, but the thought of starting a medicinal herb garden can feel a little overwhelming. There’s so much information out there, and it’s easy to feel like you need to know everything before you even plant the first seed.
The truth is, you don’t need a full apothecary or years of experience to get started. You just need a few reliable, beginner-friendly herbs that grow well, don’t require constant attention, and are actually useful in everyday life.
This list focuses on easy medicinal herb garden plants that are forgiving, versatile, and perfect for beginners. Whether you’re planting in containers, raised beds, or a small backyard space, these herbs help you build confidence while creating a simple, practical medicinal herb garden you’ll actually use.
1. Calendula (The Beginner-Friendly Skin Herb) 🌼
If you’re starting a medicinal herb garden, calendula is one of the easiest herbs you can grow. It’s forgiving, fast-growing, and actually useful, even if you’re brand new to medicinal herbs.
Calendula is best known for its bright flowers and simple skin uses. It’s commonly used in salves, infused oils, and balms for everyday skin care.
How to Grow Calendula
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: When the top inch of soil feels dry
Where: Garden beds, raised beds, or containers
Harvest flowers when fully open. The more you pick, the more it blooms! 🌼
How You’ll Use It
Infuse flowers into oil for salves
Dry petals for simple skin remedies
Shopping List
🪴 Calendula seeds
✂️ Small garden scissors
🫙 Glass jar for infusing oil
Where to Buy Seeds
Local garden centers
Online seed shops (Baker Creek, Seed Savers, Johnny’s)
Amazon for quick delivery
2. Chamomile (The Calm-Down Tea Herb) 🌼☕
Chamomile is one of the gentlest and most beginner-friendly plants you can add to a medicinal herb garden. It’s easy to grow, easy to harvest, and perfect for those who love calming herbal teas.
This is the kind of herb that makes your garden feel useful right away, especially after one of those incredibly long days!
How to Grow Chamomile
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Light, consistent watering (don’t let it dry out completely)
Where: Garden beds or containers
Chamomile grows quickly and doesn’t need perfect conditions to thrive! This is my kind of plant!
How You’ll Use It
Brew calming chamomile tea
Dry flowers for sleep blends and relaxation teas
Harvest flowers when they’re fully open and dry them thoroughly before storing.
Shopping List
🌱 Chamomile seeds
✂️ Herb scissors
🍵 Tea infuser or strainer
Where to Buy Seeds
Local garden centers
Online seed shops (Baker Creek, Johnny’s, Seed Savers)
Amazon for quick, beginner-friendly packets
3. Peppermint (The Hard-to-Kill Digestive Herb) 🌿🍃
Peppermint is one of the easiest medicinal herbs you can grow. It's almost too easy! If you want a plant that thrives with minimal effort, this one belongs in your medicinal herb garden.
It’s commonly used for digestion, headaches, and soothing teas, and it grows fast once established.
How to Grow Peppermint
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Keep soil lightly moist
Where: Always grow in containers (it spreads fast!)
Peppermint is very forgiving and bounces back quickly after harvesting.
How You’ll Use It
Brew peppermint tea for digestion
Dry leaves for teas and herbal blends
Trim often to keep plants full and contained.
Shopping List
🪴 Peppermint plant or seeds
🪣 Container with drainage
✂️ Herb scissors
Where to Buy
Local nurseries (plants are easiest)
Online herb shops
Amazon for starter plants or seed packets
4. Lemon Balm (The Gentle Stress-Relief Herb) 🍋🌿
Lemon balm is one of those herbs that feels comforting just to grow. It’s mild, calming, and perfect for beginners who want a medicinal herb garden that supports relaxation and everyday stress relief.
It smells lightly citrusy and grows quickly with very little fuss!
How to Grow Lemon Balm
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: When the top inch of soil feels dry
Where: Containers or garden beds
Like mint, lemon balm spreads easily, so containers help keep it under control.
How You’ll Use It
Make calming teas
Add to stress-relief or sleep blends
Harvest leaves regularly to encourage fresh growth.
Shopping List
🌱 Lemon balm seeds or plant
🪴 Medium pot with drainage
✂️ Herb scissors
Where to Buy
Garden centers and nurseries
Online seed shops (Baker Creek, Johnny’s, Seed Savers)
Amazon for quick starter options
5. Lavender (The Calming, Multi-Purpose Herb) 💜🌿
Lavender is a classic for a reason. It’s beautiful, calming, and incredibly useful, making it a perfect addition to a medicinal herb garden, even for beginners.
It’s commonly used for relaxation, sleep support, and simple home remedies, and it smells amazing while it grows.
How to Grow Lavender
Light: Full sun
Water: Let soil dry out between waterings
Where: Containers or well-draining garden beds
Lavender prefers drier soil, so don’t overwater — this is one herb that thrives on a little neglect.
How You’ll Use It
Dry flowers for sleep sachets
Brew calming lavender tea
Add to homemade bath or relaxation blends
Shopping List
🪴 Lavender plant or seeds
🪣 Terracotta pot with drainage
✂️ Herb scissors
Where to Buy
Local nurseries (plants are easiest for beginners)
Online seed shops
Amazon for starter plants or seeds
6. Echinacea (The Immune Support Staple) 🌸
Echinacea is one of the most popular plants to grow in a medicinal herb garden, especially if you want herbs you can rely on year after year. It’s hardy, low-maintenance, and great for beginners.
Once established, echinacea comes back every season with very little effort.
How to Grow Echinacea
Light: Full sun
Water: Moderate watering once established
Where: Garden beds or large containers
Echinacea prefers space to grow, so give it room and let it do its thing.
How You’ll Use It
Dry flowers and roots for immune-support teas
Use in simple herbal preparations
Harvest flowers once fully open, and only harvest roots from mature plants.
Shopping List
🌱 Echinacea seeds or starter plant
🧤 Garden gloves
✂️ Garden shears
Where to Buy
Garden centers and native plant nurseries
Online seed shops
Amazon for beginner seed packs
7. Yarrow (The Old-Fashioned Healing Herb) 🤍🌿
Yarrow is a tough, no-fuss herb that deserves a spot in every medicinal herb garden. It’s been used for generations and is surprisingly easy to grow, even if you’re new to herbs.
Once it’s established, yarrow pretty much takes care of itself.
How to Grow Yarrow
Light: Full sun
Water: Low to moderate
Where: Garden beds or large containers
Yarrow prefers well-draining soil and doesn’t like to be overwatered.
How You’ll Use It
Dry flowers for traditional herbal remedies
Use in simple herbal preparations
Shopping List
🌱 Yarrow seeds
🪴 Garden space or container
✂️ Garden scissors
Where to Buy
Local nurseries
Online seed shops
Amazon for beginner-friendly seed packets
8. Sage (The Everyday Medicinal + Kitchen Herb) 🌿🍳
Sage is one of the most practical herbs you can grow. It pulls double duty in both the kitchen and your medicinal herb garden, which makes it perfect for beginners who want herbs they’ll actually use.
It’s hardy, forgiving, and smells amazing.
How to Grow Sage
Light: Full sun
Water: Let soil dry between waterings
Where: Containers or garden beds
Sage prefers drier soil, so less watering is better than too much.
How You’ll Use It
Brew sage tea for throat support
Dry leaves for everyday remedies
Cook with it regularly
Shopping List
🪴 Sage plant or seeds
🪣 Pot with drainage
✂️ Herb scissors
Where to Buy
Garden centers (plants are easiest)
Online herb shops
Amazon for quick-start options
9. Thyme (The Small but Mighty Medicinal Herb) 🌱💪
Thyme may be small, but it’s powerful. It’s one of the easiest herbs to grow and a great choice for beginners building a medicinal herb garden in a small space.
It thrives with very little attention.
How to Grow Thyme
Light: Full sun
Water: Light watering once established
Where: Containers, garden beds, or raised beds
**Thyme loves good drainage and doesn’t like soggy soil.
How You’ll Use It
Brew thyme tea for respiratory support
Dry leaves for herbal blends
Use fresh or dried in everyday cooking
Shopping List
🌱 Thyme seeds or plant
🪴 Shallow pot with drainage
✂️ Herb scissors
Where to Buy
Local garden centers
Online seed shops
Amazon for starter plants or seeds
Remember 🌿✨
You don’t need to grow every herb on this list to start a medicinal herb garden. Even one or two plants is enough to build confidence and start using herbs in everyday life.
If you’re short on space or time, many of these herbs also grow beautifully in an indoor herb garden, right on a windowsill or kitchen counter. Start small, keep it simple, and choose herbs you’ll actually reach for.
👉 Your next step:
Pick one herb from this list and plant it this week. Then, if you need ideas for growing herbs inside, be sure to check out my post on easy indoor herb garden ideas for busy women 🌿💚
Small steps grow the best gardens!
