It may be you don’t have a lot of time or possibly a lot of space but you can grow a tea garden that will provide you with fresh teas and add color and fun to your windowsills, porch or balcony. 
photo credit: nessguide
These mini container gardens will take very little time and with a tea garden theme you can have fun with the containers.
Setting small mini gardens will make them portable so that you can move them in the house when cool weather arrives. This garden will provide a year round supply of tea and plant variety to your house.
Select an appropriate container for your tea garden. You may prefer to have everything in one large container, or to have a grouping of container tea gardens. A grouping will allow the plants more room to grow and thrive plus give you more creativity in arrangements and pots.
Clay pots work well for proper drainage but you can use any pots that have a hole for drainage in the bottom and add pebbles or terra cotta pieces in the bottom of the containers for drainage. I use a coffee filter over the drainage holes to prevent soil from leaking out. I also sit my containers on a tray with pebbles to catch any water that drains out and to add humidity around the plant.
You will need a nutrient-rich potting soil or compost. Check to make sure your pot has good drainage in the bottom and fill your pot almost completely full with the soil. Herbs do not use as much water as some plants so water carefully once you plants are growing.
It will be fun to choose the herbal tea plants that please you and will make fine teas. I like many of the thyme herbs. You can check you local health food store to get ideas for herb plants and search online for herbal tea recipes.
Mint and balm family herbs are very popular for tea blends. Other plants suggestions would be different sage plants, pot marigold, cilantro, basil and lavender.
Plant your herbs according to the instructions that come with each plant or on the back of the seed packets. Be careful not to crowd the herb plants. I plant one to two per smaller containers and 5 to 6 for a larger container.
photo credit: themissiah
Herbs thrive in full sun with well-drained soil so choose a sunny room or window. If you use your herbs on a regular basis they will not become overcrowded in the containers.
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