Page 9 - 80 Square Feet Medicinal Garden

80 Square-Feet SHTF Medicinal Garden

Harvesting Evening Primrose

Evening primrose is best picked young for edible purposes, but for medicinal
purposes, it can be harvested spring through fall for use in tea. Roots can be dug in
the winter. And the seeds are harvested when the pods dry out. Save the tiny black
seeds from the pods and use them for their oil, they contain 28% oil by weight. I
store them whole and grind them as needed.

Red Clover, Trifolium pretense

• 4 square feet
• Hardiness zones 3 to 8
• Soil pH 6.2 or higher
• Full sun to part shade
• Height 20 inches

Red clover is a natural hormone replacement and is useful to slow the bone loss in
osteoporosis and can even increase bone density in women. It is also helpful to
treat skin diseases and combatting heart disease. It can be taken as a tea made from
the flower blossoms, as a tincture, and as a dried herb.

Growing Red Clover

Sow seeds 8 to 10 inches apart and ¼ inch
deep, after the last frost. They need warmth
and moisture to germinate. Give them
regular water until the seedlings are
established. Once established it is relatively
drought tolerant and will grow vigorously
with the addition of nitrogen throughout the
season. With good management, you will get
2 to 3 crops per year, depending on your
location.

Harvesting Red Clover for Medicinal Use

Red clover blossoms are at their best medicinal value about one to two weeks after
the blooms open. I usually harvest several crops a year and dry them for future use.
I remove the blossom head only and leave the rest of the plant. I also harvest leaves
to use in salads and soups or dried to use in tea. The leaves are best before the

flowers appear.

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