Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 18 to 24 inches
Incompatible planting with: cucumbers, rue, and snap beans
Compatible with: peppers and tomatoes
Magickal basil: Above all, magickal basil is thought to promote harmony in the home, soothe unhappy feelings, and blend energies to reach a happy conclusion. Used for good luck, wealth, and love spells.
Culinary basil: Use in pesto, tomato sauces, salads, vinegars, omelets, soups, corn, cream cheese, eggplant, peas, white beans, zucchini, pasta, and red meats.
Goes well with: chives, garlic, marjoram, oregano, mint, parsley, rosemary, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves; buds from flower spikes are often used as garnish
Bay
Growth and care: Light requirements for Bay seem to depend upon your climate and location. If you plant in a tub, you can easily move it until you find just the right spot where it seems happy. Bay can actually grow into a small tree if you let it. Requires semi-shade and may need to be brought indoors in tough winter areas until the plant has reached several feet high. If you are going to let your bay grow large, you may prefer large tub planting, as the plant will eventually require several feet of space. Once your bay takes off, you can harvest leaves for cooking throughout the summer months.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 3 feet
Incompatible planting with: (see below)
Compatible with: As it grows into a tree, bay is not particularly compatible with anything, unless you give it lots of space to grow.
Magickal bay: Popular in spells for divination, seeing clearly, and understanding the information you are receiving. Also used for protection, cleansings, banishing ghosts, doing well in physical activities, and wish magick.
Culinary bay: Use leaves in herbal bouquets and marinades as well as soups, stews, lamb, game, lentils, rice, chicken, beef, and casseroles. (Two to three leaves flavor a dish for four to five people.)
Goes well with: allspice, garlic, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, savory, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves (soak dried leaves in water first)
Chives
Growth and care: Chives are a perennial warm-season herb that like a rich, well-drained soil and lots of water. Very resistant to bugs and diseases, chives are easily grown indoors as well as out. Chives enjoy full sun to light shade and can be divided each spring to encourage new growth. Chives are best frozen but can be dried, though they do lose a great deal of their flavor in the drying process. To preserve chive flavor, layer your cuttings alternatively in a glass jar—one inch of kosher salt, then one inch of chives, packing down each layer with a spoon. Use dried chives and salt in cooking. Chives are great in vinegars as well. Plant chives with roses to keep those blooms of love disease-free! Chives can be harvested all summer long.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 6 inches
Incompatible planting with: beans
Compatible with: carrots, celery, grapes, peas, and roses
Magickal chives: Used in spells for good health, cleansings, and protecting love. Mix with dried hot peppers and rose petals to keep your partner close!
Culinary chives: Salads, cheeses, breads, butters, dressings, and as food decoration over fish (cut and sprinkle over food right before serving). Flavor your potatoes with a mixture of chives, parsley, and rosemary while cooking.
Goes well with: basil, parsley, and tarragon
Parts used for food: stems and flowers
Dill
Growth and care: Can grow very tall, so companion stakes are well worth your investment. Dill functions as an annual in areas with hard winters, but it may be a perennial if your climate is conducive. Dill will re-seed itself throughout the growing season, so make sure your dill patch has plenty of room to grow! Dill enjoys full sun. Harvest the seeds for pickling and the feathery leaves for cooking. Can reach 4 feet in height and 24 inches in breadth. May require extra watering in dry weather. Dill isn’t called an abundance herb for nothing. Your dill will seed all over the place—in other beds, on the path, among other plants. It can be a social nuisance.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: at least 18 inches
Incompatible planting with: carrots, fennel (will cross-pollinate), tomatoes
Compatible with: fruit trees and cabbage
Magickal dill: As dill re-seeds itself, this herb is great for endeavors of long life, preservation of hearth and home, protection on the job, and cultivating opportunity.
Culinary dill: Seed heads are used in pickled cucumbers and herbal breads and butters. Fresh dill leaves are great for fish and other seafood, cabbage, cauliflower and cucumber dishes, beef, beans, potatoes, lentils, and spinach, as well as light sauces. Great for vinegars.
Goes well with: Leaves—basil, garlic, horseradish, mustard, and parsley. Seeds—combine with garlic and ginger.
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves, seeds
Lemon Verbena
Growth and care: Can reach a height of 6 feet and will bush out if pruned repeatedly, growing into a graceful shrub. Can be a perennial if winter is not too cold. Likes full sun and can be a good outdoor container pot herb. Lemon verbena has an intense, fresh lemon aroma, but the taste is less strong. Until about a hundred years ago, the plant was considered for its merit in potpourris and garden aroma. Lemon verbena is still used today in the more expensive perfumes. Now, however, it is used in teas and fatty meat dishes as well as a light flavoring for fish. In my experience, this plant takes a little over-average water and lush, organic soil.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 24 inches
Incompatible planting with: none
Compatible with: plants arranged in garden for aromatic and meditative qualities
Magickal lemon verbena: Used in love spells and potions, workings for personal strength, attracting passion for any person or thing, and banishing nightmares. Steep lemon verbena in hot water, cool, strain, and use to asperge sacred space.
Culinary lemon verbena: teas, fatty meats such as duck, flavoring for desserts and drinks, pork chops, chicken, fish, stuffings, marinades
Goes well with: basil, hot peppers, chives, lemon thyme, mints, garlic
Parts used for food: leaves, fresh or dried
Marjoram
Growth and care: Winter-hardy only in the South. Requires full sun and well-drained soil and can be harvested throughout the growing season. Some varieties make attractive border plants. Marcelka marjoram is similar to oregano and has an aromatic hint of pine—great for mushroom sauces! Sweet marjoram is wonderful for salads, vinegars, and Italian cuisine. Pinch out regularly to ensure bushy, compact plants.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 12 inches
Incompatible planting with: cucumbers
Compatible with: sage and vegetables
Magickal marjoram: A well-rounded herb used in workings for love, protection, health, happiness, strength, wealth, and money. Create a money sachet using marjoram, chamomile flowers, and marigold petals in a green bag decorated with a bee motif to attract fast cash!
Culinary marjoram: Use in stuffings, sausage dishes, pasta, pizza, and sauces, as well as root vegetable, mushroom, and bean dishes. Marjoram should be added in the last few minutes of cooking
so that the flavor is not lost.
Goes well with: basil, bay, hot peppers, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves; flower knots are also edible
Mints
Growth and care: Mints have a tendency to overtake any garden, so planting them in pots really is the best choice. Extremely hardy, most mints have a strong aroma, grow rapidly, and spread underground runners. As perennials, mints need plenty of water and prefer a rich soil in a shady area. Mints can reach 16 to 20 inches in height and are a primary choice for teas and money magick.
Fertilizer requirements: light, if at all, application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: best if potted
Incompatible planting with: none, but see growth and care, above, for caution about planting mints in your garden
Compatible with: broccoli, cabbage, peas
Magickal mints: Most commonly used in money spells, but you will also find magickal mint in safety and travel workings, love potions, cleansings, study aids, and stress-relieving formulas. Mix with lavender and chamomile for a nice, no-stress herbal sachet. Check out appendix 4 for a list of different types of mint.
Culinary mints: Teas, jellies, and salads. Great flavoring for lamb as well as carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, chicken, pork, Asian dipping sauces, and desserts.
Goes well with: basil, cloves, dill, ginger, marjoram, oregano, parsley, pepper, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves, flowers for salads and garnishes
Oregano
Growth and care: Perennial warm-season plant that is a stronger, more peppery version of marjoram. Some oreganos are creepers, keeping close to the ground, and make good border plants, where others such as the autumn flowering variety can grow into a small bush. Oreganos enjoy full sun and are not usually harvested until the plant begins to flower, as this is the time of highest flavor content; however, oregano snippets can be taken all season long for cooking requirements. If happy, some types of oregano will bush to the diameter of a barrel!
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 18 inches
Incompatible planting with: none
Compatible with: beans, cucumbers, and squash
Magickal oregano: A great money-draw herb. Much like marjoram, this herb is used in a variety of workings for love, lust, good health, protection and general happiness.
Culinary oregano: Italian cuisine, sauces, red meats, beans, potatoes, duck, shellfish, cauliflower, corn, lamb, mushrooms, spinach, squash, veal, venison and root vegetables such as turnips and carrots, soups, stews and roasts. Add oregano near the end of cooking to retain flavor.
Goes well with: basil, bay, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves and flower knots
Parsley
Growth and care: Cool-season biennial that usually does well under winter conditions and is probably the easiest herb to grow on our magickal list. Parsley enjoys full sun to partial shade and does well if your summer is drier than usual, although you should take care to water during that time. Can be harvested all season long—the more you cut, the more the plant will bush out with fresh, new greenery and grow 18 to 20 inches in height.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: at least 18 inches
Incompatible planting with: none
Compatible with: asparagus, corn, peppers, and tomatoes
Magickal parsley: Used in magickal growth and birth workings; also used in cleansings and for protection against accidents at home and while traveling.
Culinary parsley: Great as a garnish. Use in soups, stews, potatoes, herbal bouquets, eggs, fish, lentils, rice, and sauces.
Goes well with: basil, bay, chives, garlic, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, pepper, rosemary, tarragon
Parts used for food: fresh and dried leaves; fresh stalks for soups and stews
Rosemary
Growth and care: Although rosemary is a perennial herb, it doesn’t take well to hard winters. Rosemary will grow in bushlike form and can reach 6 feet in height in excellent conditions. This is the most-used herb in our home, from magick to making soaps to cooking. To dry, hang cuttings upside down. When dry, remove leaves and keep them whole in storage. Throw away stems. Grind dried leaves right before use for best flavor and aroma. Rosemary requires full sun and good drainage and will do well during a dry summer if watered occasionally. If raised indoors, rosemary can be harvested year-round.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 24 inches
Incompatible planting with: cucumbers
Compatible with: cabbage, beans, carrots, and sage, as both sage and rosemary require the same type of well-drained soil.
Magickal rosemary: Extremely versatile herb used in workings for love, protection, cleansings, mental acuity, lust, healing, restful sleep, stress removal, and retaining one’s youth.
Culinary rosemary: Use with pork, lamb, game, and beef. Great for marinades, flavoring oils, or vinegars. Use sparingly in herbal breads and butters. Excellent if cooked with potatoes, mushrooms, rabbit, veal, and winter squashes. Not diminished by long cooking so is great for stews and oven-baked casseroles.
Goes well with: bay, chives, garlic, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, savory, thyme
Parts used for food: needlelike leaves, young sprigs and stems, flowers
Sage
Growth and care: Sage is certainly not fussy when it comes to soil content and prefers sun and well-drained soil. Sage is a natural antibacterial and has been used as a preservative for meats, poultry, and fish. There are several varieties of sage, each with their own unique flavor, so I suggest planting several to see which you like the best. We grow white sage for incense and broad-leaf sage for meats and stuffings. As with rosemary, when dried, remove leaves and throw away stems. Do not crush leaves until you are ready to use them. Sage takes approximately two full years to grow into a shrub. White sage is edible and makes an excellent addition to herbal mixes—just use sparingly, as this particular sage is extremely potent in taste and aroma. Pineapple sage can be placed in the bottom of a cake pan to scent a plain cake. Variegated golden sage is very mild, should you not like a more robust flavor. Tricolor sage also has a gentle aroma.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: depends on variety you choose
Incompatible planting with: cucumbers and onions
Compatible with: rosemary, carrots, marjoram, strawberries, tomatoes, and lavender, as they require the same type of soil
Magickal sage: Used in workings for wisdom, wishes, knowledge, strength, long life, and immortality through your actions or talents.
Culinary sage: Poultry, beef, stuffing, stews, poultry, tea, apples, beans, onions, sauces, herbal breads, and butters. Strong flavor, use sparingly.
Goes well with: bay, celery, marjoram, parsley, savory, thyme
Parts used for food: fresh or dried leaves, flowers for garnish
Savory
Growth and care: There are two types of savory: winter, which is a perennial, and summer savory, which is an annual. Winter savory has more aromatic leaves, where the summer variety is much lighter and a bit peppery. Savory doesn’t dry well, but it can be frozen. Savory is called the poor man’s sauce and is a must-have to empower and cook beans!
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between
plants: 18 inches
Incompatible planting with: none
Compatible with: beans, onions, and sweet potatoes
Magickal savory: Used in spells to obtain secrets, answers to questions, general knowledge, and mental acuity. Also used in love spells and potions.
Culinary savory: Beans, beets, cabbage, peas and other veggies, sausages, lamb, pork, game, oil-rich fish, bean and potato salads, and stuffings. Strong flavor.
Goes well with: basil, bay, garlic, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme
Parts used for food: dried and fresh leaves, fresh sprigs, flowers for garnishes and salads
Tarragon
Growth and care: Choose only French tarragon if your plant will be used for culinary purposes. This was the touchiest of the plants on my list. It doesn’t like high-acid soil and is fussy about needing water, even though they say it needs little. It was worth the fuss, though it was my least-yielding plant. Tarragon likes full sun to partial shade and doesn’t take well to being moved. Tarragon can reach a height of 36 inches—mine didn’t, topping out at 10.
Fertilizer requirements: light application of your choice (I used organic fish fertilizer)
Space between plants: 18 inches
Incompatible planting with: none
Compatible with: vegetables
Magickal tarragon: Use for harmony in the home, protection, and cleansings.
Culinary tarragon: Excellent in vinegars, chicken, egg dishes, and salad dressings. Also good in soups, salads, stuffings, sauces, fish, cheese, mushroom, seafood, potatoes, and zucchini. Strong flavor.
Goes well with: basil, bay, chives, dill, and parsley
Parts used for food: fresh leaves and sprigs
Thyme
Growth and care: Like basil, oregano, and marjoram, there are several types of thymes that you can choose to grow. Some grow into upright shrubs, where others creep along the ground. Thymes are cut as needed before the plant blossoms around midsummer. Thyme can be dried, but it doesn’t freeze particularly well. Requiring full sun to partial shade, thyme requires average watering, although I found in a dry summer, thyme will suffer more than the other herbs, so keep it well watered if the rainman forgets your neck of the woods.
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