On a cold and miserable day we moved all the seed trays inside to the living room table, lit the fire, and got to work planting thyme, lavender, greek oregano, borage, marjoram, melissa, bergamot, mint, and yarrow. It’s a lovely collection of aromatic herbs that we’ll tend to in the nursery here at home, then plant around the groves and vegetable gardens.

Seeding the groves with herbs and flowers is part of the virtuous cycle of biodiversity that we deliberately maintain in our olive groves. We don’t use any pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or chemicals, and herbs and flowers and wild grasses are rich in natrium which enriches the soil and promotes the health of the trees.