(Tiny Tips) – Participation in nature is an effective way to improve the mental health of all family members. Gardening can be a challenge for people who don’t have the space, time, or talent. But even a hopeless newbie with a tight schedule and limited space can find success with a low-maintenance, hardy tea garden.
Even if you live in a natural area, growing something can bring great satisfaction. Growing vegetables that can be cooked and eaten can provide another level of satisfaction and success. Gardening is an obvious choice for those who need easy access to wilderness, and tea is an easy-to-grow option.
Not this tea garden
When people talk about tea gardens, they are usually referring to a special type of Japanese landscape called a “tea garden.” Japanese tea gardens are beautiful, peaceful places that complement the traditional tea ceremony. Although they are often small and rustic, with a very limited variety of plants, their design follows a strict formula and are not easy to care for.
A better option for beginners and casual gardeners is a tea garden, where you can grow your own tea to brew and drink.
Camellia Sinensis
Tea drinkers know that variations on their favorite drink can be as subtle as wine. Like wine, tea production has a significant impact on the environment. One way to reduce this footprint is to grow tea. Whether you drink black tea, green tea, or oolong tea, it comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, a close relative of the popular evergreen flowering shrub.
Camellias do not produce the showy flowers of ornamental varieties, but they have similar growing requirements. Camellias cannot withstand severe or prolonged frosts and require constant water.
If you live in a humid area in USDA zones 8-11 and can provide your garden with adequate water year-round, tea tree is an easy-care evergreen. Specialist camellia nurseries sell many different varieties of camellias, allowing you to grow different types of camellias, each adding its own unique flavor to your homemade tea.
Herbal Teas
Although growing the actual tea tree can be challenging, almost anyone can grow the herb and make tea from the leaves and flowers. The selection of herbs suitable for herbal teas, or rather herbal medicines, is virtually unlimited.
Herbs are generally easy-care perennials that often require little space. Many of the most popular herbs come from the Mediterranean region and therefore do not require much watering. Since new leaves are usually best for making tea, the plant can be kept small or even grown in an indoor pot.
Chamomile flowers, lavender and mint leaves are classic choices for tea drinkers and novice gardeners alike. Any citrus-flavored herb, such as lemongrass, lemon verbena, or lemon balm, can also be used to make tea. Some of the more unusual choices that may be a little more demanding include the many varieties of basil (often grown as annuals) and hibiscus (which must be brought indoors during the winter).
Because they are so hardy, some herbs can become invasive plants in many areas. Plants like mint and lemon balm are best kept in containers, you still need to be alert to unusual conditions elsewhere in the garden.
Making Tea
Real tea is harvested by cutting off the new leaves of camellia flowers every two weeks. Processing depends on the type of tea being produced. It can be complex, requiring steaming, cutting, and even fermentation.
There are many ways to make herbal tea. Herbal tea can be made directly from fresh leaves during the growing season or dried for later use. Generally speaking, the flavor will be better if the leaves are harvested before the plant blooms. Pruning can delay flowering, or you can let the plant bloom and use the dried flowers to make a tea.
For infusion, pour boiling water over the leaves. For coarser leaves, berries and seeds, decoction may work better. In this case, the plant material should be placed in boiling water until the tea is ready. Never use an aluminum pot to brew herbal tea; even anodized aluminum can react with acidic materials and leach toxins. In most cases, you will need to remove the leaves before drinking the tea, tie the leaves in cheesecloth before steeping, or pour the steeped tea through a strainer into a cup.
Brewing times range from a few minutes to 15 minutes. The amount and strength of tea required, the type of herb, whether the leaves are whole, crushed or chopped, and the freshness of the herb all affect the results.
First, you can look at the instructions for similar commercial tea preparations or search the Internet for preparation instructions. One of the great joys of growing tea in the garden is experimenting with crops to create the perfect cup of tea.