407 · Lemon Balm

About this plant

A soft, lemon-scented mint whose leaves make one of the best fresh herbal teas you can grow. In Fountain Hills it thrives from February into May, so plant it now and harvest hard before summer. Give it a pot with afternoon shade and it will often bounce back in the fall.

Planting it at home

When to plant out

Right away. Our low-desert planting window for cool-season plants ends about mid-February.

Where

Container, morning sun / afternoon shade; near the kitchen door.

Spacing

12–18 in

Size

18–24 in tall (San Diego Seed Co); 2–3 ft x 1.5–3 ft at full size (NCSU)

Care

Sun

Morning sun 4–6 hr, AFTERNOON SHADE REQUIRED in low desert

Water

Regular — moist but well drained; pots every 1–3 days in heat

Feed

Light feeding only; too much fertilizer weakens the flavor (general guide).

Pick / harvest

Before flowering — young leaves are most flavorful

Good to know

Grown from

Seed — sown by FHCG volunteers

Uses

Fresh herbal tea

Life cycle

Perennial

Heirloom or hybrid

Heirloom — saved seeds grow true

Pollinators

Excellent — bees love it (NCSU); genus name Melissa = honeybee.

Caution

Spreads aggressively: best grown in a pot.

Days to harvest / bloom

70+ days to first cutting

Heat (our summer)

Low. Leaf scorch and decline above ~100°F; needs afternoon shade.

Color

Tiny white flowers; bright green crinkled foliage

Edible

Yes — leaves and flowers (tea, pesto, fruit salads).