What Herbs to Plant in Late Spring;

or, how I forgot to start my garden this past February

Heading to work late one morning, I passed by one of my neighbor’s elaborate front yard gardens. Bemoaning my apparent inability to get plants into the ground in a timely fashion (yet again), I reflected on years past when I had managed to produce not only fresh, sun-kissed vegetables, but fresh herbs that brightened many a meal. 

The creation of nourishment from your own backyard somehow always made the food taste a little better. It made a special meal feel a little more special. It also made things a little more convenient. If you needed something, you could just walk outside and grab it. This led me to think about my latest trip to the occult store. This trip was solely to obtain a particular herb needed for a personal ritual. An herb that I had previously grown myself, with success, in my own little backyard garden. This line of thought had me further considering the role of herbs and other tools in our esoteric practices. 

The advice given to the new practitioner by Crowley in Magick in Theory and Practice consists of him going into intricate detail about how making your magical weapons completely from scratch is the best way to learn and appreciate how interconnected Nature and the Universe are. He stated,

“…that everything used by the Magician must be ‘virgin’… that it must never have been

used by any other person for any other purpose…” 

True magicians create. Not only their space, but everything within it.

I pondered on how that might relate not only to the magical weapons, but to the tools that initially seem a little less significant. Our oils, incense, herbs, and other vehicles of symbolism. How much more meaning would be imbued into the symbolic framework of the herbs we use in our rituals if they had been nourished by the same air that we breathe. Warmed by the same sun that lights our hearts. Watered from the same water that courses over and through our bodies. And having rested in the same earth wherein we also will rest.

If we share space and nurture our symbolic tools with the same sustenance that we ourselves transmute daily into spiritual substance, how much more meaning would they add to our practice? The same sun in my backyard that I walk through. The same well water I drink. The same soil I tread. Will those herbs then contain a little bit of me? Will these rituals be a little more mine? 

Herbs gathered from any other source simply will not have the same impact.

The biggest question in my line of thought was now this: is it too late to plant anything this far into Spring? We are butting up against Summer and May Day has come and gone. Surely it is too deep into the growing season for anything significant to be produced. 

Luckily, this is not the case! 

Late May is the perfect time to start the more particular herbs that require warmer soil for germination. Herbs like sage, basil, oregano, and rosemary love heat and are actually best grown indoors until late Spring. Making mid-May the best time to sow directly outdoors.

Bee balm, catnip, chamomile, chervil, chives fennel, lemon balm, mint, lovage, marjoram, and thyme can also be sown directly outdoors in late Spring. Though, look, if you do choose to grow mint, I recommend that you grow it in its very own pot. Not unlike a goth-kid’s love for The Cure, mint is uncontainable. It will spread quickly and take over any space available, regardless of whether you have landscaping borders or if anything else dares to grow in its path. It is unstoppable. My mother planted a small patch of mint in the late 90s, and now the majority of her backyard is mint.

Most herbs do best in direct sunlight, but not all of them. Make sure you read up on what you are trying to grow and find a location where it will do its best. Turn or till the soil to make it easier for roots to grow and remove any weeds or grass to prevent them from choking out your new herbs. Keep the soil moist while the seeds are germinating, but then dial back the water and allow the soil to dry a bit once they sprout and develop a couple sets of leaves. This will encourage root development and help create an overall healthier plant. Feed based on the instructions that come with whatever fertilizer you use, but make sure you flush the plant with two or three cycles of fresh water before you use it to ensure that there is no residual fertilizer.

Growing your own ritual herb garden is a terrific way to add more meaning to your practice and it can be accomplished in a small space with few resources. All you need is dirt, seeds, water, and plant food. You can grow directly in the ground, or in a collection of pots that can then be taken indoors during the cooler months. It is an excellent way to check off that “create your own magical tools” box without having to learn metal or wood working, and it does not require a lot of extra time (which is perfect for busy lives).

Magic is the art of creating change in conformity with your will. Go, create, and make magic.