All people can be divided into 2 groups – coffee-addicted and tea-addicted. If you are a real fan of high-quality beverages, you are ready to spend all your money on a tasty cup of tea or coffee. Yet, the modern food market not always provides consumers with really good products. If the coffee-addicted people have no other choice but continue searching the Net trying to find a viable option, the read-addicted individuals have a great opportunity to grow the ingredients for a sophisticated drink by themselves.
There is a wide range of herbal tea plants you can grow just in tour garden or backyard. The most popular of them are the following:
- Chamomile is the perfect means for soothing the soul. This plant is very useful. It has anti-bacterial and mild sedative features. You can drink it to reduce your anxiety or in case of insomnia. Chamomile needs at least 8 hours per day of direct sun. It’s easy to grow. You have to water the beds when they look droopy;
- Mint adds an unforgettable flavor to every dish. Mint tea can relieve headaches and pain. It’s good for increasing alertness, too. When it comes to growing mint in your garden, you should take into account that this herb is an aggressive grower. It requires moist growing conditions. You have to water it regularly;
- Echinacea is a perfect immune-strengthening agent. It helps to fight the flu and control blood sugar. You can drink it to manage anxiety or to lower blood pressure. The plant needs rich soil with a near-neutral pH. Moreover, it’s able to survive a very cold winter;
- Stevia is a perfect choice for them who are trying to lose weight. It also lowers total cholesterol. If you want to grow stevia, it’s better to use containers. It requires well-drained beds;
- Hibiscus is packed with antioxidants. It boosts liver health and promotes weight loss. You have to choose full-sun spots for growing this vine. It’s necessary to water it regularly;
- Camellia tea has hundreds of fans all over the globe. People like drinking it because it helps to lower cholesterol and even to prevent cancer. It’s an evergreen shrub. You can plant it in the shady spots.
To get a good harvest of tea plants, it’s necessary to get rid of weeds. They can not only affect the yields but also add bitterness to your beverage. It’s better to use weed barrier fabric to get rid of pesky plants without harmful effects for other vines.
Main secrets of picking up the tea plants
It’s not enough just to grow the tea vines. In order to use them for drink infusing, you have to pick them up at a proper time and in a proper way. If you thwart the buts or leaves too early or too late, you won’t get the flavored and rich taste. Moreover, sometimes you can even be poisoned.
You have to cut herbs as soon as the buds appear with the exception of chamomile. The flowers of chamomile are not edible. The next step is to rinse herbs to get rid of excess water. You should place the herbs in the dry and dark place. The optimal temperature is about 95 degrees.
To conclude, it should be noticed that homegrown herbal tea always tastes better even than the most expensive one from the supermarket. Moreover, it’s considerably healthier.