There's a website called "Plants for a Future" that is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning the historical and actual uses for plants. This link takes you to the first page of their list of 625 plants which are known to have been used in making tea. From that list you just have to decide what can grow in your region and what can fit in your garden. A lot of these plants are easy to try without having to grow them in the garden, they grow wild and can be very common, and stripping a few of their leaves won't harm the plants at all. Your tea recipe can be designed not only for good taste but for it's healthful medicinal qualities as well. To help you find out which plants grow in your region the USDA has a PLANTS database at this link. The range data found at PFAF is very inaccurate, they even admit to it, so using the PLANTS data is very helpful. Good luck with your endeavor, Ray

No doubt, everybody's idea of what are 'essential' herbs is going to be different. I couldn't do without mint, of which I have several kinds. Spearmint is the one I use the most. Of course, I have a herb-only garden, so I think they are all essential! I particularly like having fresh turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and galangal readily available, and I wouldn't be without lavender or aloe vera, either. Surely a herb garden isn't a herb garden without some parsley in it?! The elder tree is one I really like to have for both culinary and medicinal uses. Feverfew, agrimony, nasturtium, chillies, kafir lime, lemon verbena, tarragon - the list goes on. I used to have literally hundreds of herbs, but now that I have only a tiny little garden, I've had to limit myself to the ones I use the most. Although stevia and heliotrope and caraway and a few others are more for the novelty value and I can't bring myself to part with them!

Suggest that you get a good soil test done. This way, you will know more about what the soil needs. Tilling might be necessary, but you can rent one and the whole job can take less than an hour to do. My 7 php tiller does over 2000 sq. ft and it takes about 2-3 hours tops. No tilling, just start the herbs in small pots and dig holes in the soil for each transplant. If the soil is heavy and clay like, you may have no alternatve but to somehow loosen it to a point where you can add ammendments like compost, and any other necessary fertilizer, micro nutrients, or minerals. If you want to control weeds, you can put down a black plastic heavy fabric mulch, cut round holes for each plant, and this will help to reduce weeds. With 70 varieties of herbs, you most likly are going to need a soil test, so do that before you do much of anything else. Many herbs have no real preference to soil or its quality, but because your wanting so many different kinds of herbs, you will have to make most of them happy.

You can make a tea from just about any edible herb, and, depending on the plant, you can use the leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, or roots of a plant to make it (you need to learn which parts of which plants are used). What you need to keep in mind is that ALL herbal teas are medicines - yes, even the common black or green tea or coffee. As a rough rule of thumb, one cup of herbal tea provides a daily dose for an adult. One teaspoon is a daily dose for a child under 12. While there are certain herbal teas which are considered safe for children, it's best not to give them ANY, except under expert, professional, supervision. Children's bodies are immature, and they react to substances in very different ways from adults. This is why herbal teas/medications are not generally recommended for pregnant women - they can have adverse effects on the developing foetus - or cause abortion (or at the least uterine contractions). I suggest for your garden, you think first about the ailments you want to treat yourself for. If you suffer headaches, you might choose feverfew, or thyme, or lavender. If you suffer frequent bouts of cystitis, you might choose agrimony, or nasturtium. For occasional bouts of indigestion, peppermint (or any mint) will do the job, but if you overdo the mint, it can have exactly the opposite effect. I strongly recommend that you do some homework before you start using herbal teas of ANY kind. Search the WWW for something like 'herbal treatment headache' and repeat for other ailments. Make sure to take note of any contraindications (such as diabetes, pregnancy, heart problems, blood pressure problems etc) and unwanted side effects. For instance, lemon balm (an apparently innocuous little herb!) makes quite a nice-tasting tea. However, it is contraindicated for use by people with thyroid dysfunction, and it can cause night-sweats (a real problem for menopausal women). It can also sensitise a person to other allergens. Another herb commonly thought to be harmless, and given to children as a sedative is chamomile. However: Sufferers of allergies to daisies, ragweed, asters or chrysanthemums should avoid using chamomile. Allergic reactions include difficulty with breathing, throat constriction, swelling of lips, tongue or face, or hives. In cases of fragile pregnancy, chamomile should be avoided as it will promote a delayed menses. May cause stomach upsets, including vomiting, in some people. Do not use chamomile if taking blood-thinning or other sedative medications. Are you beginning to see what I'm saying here? When there is a benefit (an upside), there is almost always a disadvantage (a downside) when it comes to herbs. Just be aware! You really need to do your homework on this one. Grow the herbs of your choice, and use them in your cooking, but be aware that in medicinal doses (like tea) you should regard them with the same cautions as you would a cabinet full of pills.