Grow Your Own Organic Lemon Balm

So fragrant!

So beautiful!

Today I want to tell you three reasons why you should be growing an herb called lemon balm in your kitchen garden space. Then I'll tell you how you can use the leaves to enjoy all the wonderful lemon balm health benefits (spoiler: it can help you catch some Z's!).

Lemon Balm Is One of the Easiest Herbs to Grow

Lemon balm isn't just easy by herb standards. Lemon balm is literally one of the simplest plants to grow ever.

I love to grow lemon balm in my pollinator garden and native plant space. It doesn't need any special soil or anything, so you don't need to give it raised bed space. This herb does more than fine in the ground, even if your soil's not that great. Just pick a place with lots of sunlight. Then stand back and let this plant basically take care of herself. 

Actually, lemon balm is so easy to grow that you want to carefully consider where to plant it. It can turn into a pretty large plant, so you want to give it some space. I planted some lemon balm plants next to the walkway in my Chicago garden, and the plants quickly took over.

Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the Lamiaceae family, or the mint family. If you live in a colder climate, your plants will die back during the winter and then spring back to life once the weather warms. For those of you in warmer climates, like my clients back in Houston, your lemon balm plants could very well produce leaves year round.

Lemon balm is frost-tolerant, drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, neglect-tolerant—you name it. It's not prone to issues with pests or disease. These are hardy little plants.

You Can Harvest Lemon Balm Again & Again

I use weekly cuttings from my lemon balm all season long and even into the winter. I bring my cuttings inside, hang them to dry, and then use them in lemon balm teas or as a spice. This herb also adds a great citrusy kick when mixed into a salad dressing or just tossed right into a salad. Lemon balm can be a little chewy, so I chop it into really small pieces to add fresh garden flavor to my meals, especially when it’s hot outside and I’m missing those crisp homegrown salads from the cool season.

I also like to arrange lemon balm stems in a vase with a bit of water and stick them around my home to add that lemony garden scent. This plant is such an easy way to bring the garden indoors again and again. 

Lemon Balm Is an Excellent Natural Pest Deterrent

Lemon balm attracts the garden good guys and repels the bad guys. That's right.

When lemon balm flowers, it brings in bees and butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. I've even seen ladybugs hanging out on lemon balm leaves when the plants weren't flowering (or suffering from aphids).

While lemon balm is inviting in the bugs we want in our gardens, it's also keeping out the ones we don't. The citrusy scent of lemon balm has been shown to repel mosquitoes, gnats, and other bugs that… well, bug you when you’re out in your garden space. All you have to do is take some lemon balm leaves, crush them in your hand, and rub them on your skin. If you have lemon balm essential oil, you can add a few drops to water and make your own bug spray.

What Is Lemon Balm Used for?

This cousin of mint can help make us feel calm and relaxed, promote sleep, and ease indigestion (think bloating). It's been used for hundreds of years to treat everything from depression and anxiety to venomous insect bites. Some studies suggest lemon balm ointments can even help heal cold sores.

Like chamomile, you can brew your own lemon balm tea at home to help you wind down or ease those gastrointestinal issues.

How to Make Your Own Lemon Balm Tea

You can use fresh or dried lemon balm leaves for tea. We haven't really studied the safety of lemon balm for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, so you might want to talk to your doctor or take it easy on the tea for now. The same goes for those on medications.

Just follow these steps to brew your own relaxing tea.

Step One: Prepare the Leaves

If you're using fresh leaves, strip the leaves from the stems. Use about 20 or so leaves for 4 cups of tea. If you're using dried leaves (more potent), measure about 2 tablespoons and then crush the leaves with your fingers.

Step Two: Steep in Hot Water

Steep your tea for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Step Three: Enjoy!

You can drink your tea hot or place it in the refrigerator to cool down and then serve with ice. You can add sugar, honey, or lemon to suit your preferences.

Time to Grow Some Lemon Balm!

I hope you consider growing this super easy, fun, and beautiful plant in your garden space. Lemon balm is easy to start from seed, but if you’re thinking of adding some to your garden later in your growing season, I recommend finding a few plants from a local grower or nursery.

And if you’re a beginner gardener, don’t worry. Herbs are the easiest plants to grow in the kitchen garden, so try your hand with lemon balm and discover the joys of gardening success!