Catnip Seeds (Heirloom)

Heirloom catnip attracts bees and blooms throughout the summer, with fragrant lavender-blue flowers and lush foliage on two-inch tall plants. Rough, heart-shaped leaves and stout stems covered with fuzzy hairs characterize this low-growing, loosely branched perennial. The plant can become scraggly once the heirloom catnip flowers have bloomed. Cutting down the plant and gathering the herbs will help to repair the plant, allowing for new growth and an infinite supply of herbs for you and your pets.

• Native to Europe and now grows throughout the United States
• Member of the mint family
• An easy-to-grow, deer resistant herb
• Contains the chemical nepetalactone, offering cats a euphoric buzz

Heirloom catnip is a mint family member that grows just as easily! Heirloom catnip is well-known for its profound effects on cats, but it can also be prepared as a soothing tea for both children and adults. Heirloom catnip loves to self-seed, so if you let it grow to flower in your yard, you can end up with catnip all over the place. Simply snip off the seed heads and share with friends and neighbors to keep this under control! Harvest by clipping the stems and air-drying the foliage to preserve the aroma of catnip. After your plants reach a height of six inches or more, you can begin this process of harvesting.

If you choose to grow your heirloom catnip outdoors, be careful where you plant it. Heirloom catnip is very easy to spread, reseeding and taking over any space it may reach. Plant your heirloom catnip indoors, in a pot or container outside, or if planting outdoors, trim back your heirloom catnip plant frequently to avoid this.

Heirloom catnip is a simple-to-grow plant that thrives in poor, dry, sandy soils where little else flourishes. Heirloom catnip grows in soils with a pH of around 6.6 and loves full sun or partial shade. It is drought tolerant and grows in full sun or partial shade. After the risk of the last frost has passed, start seeds indoors near a sunny window approximately six weeks before transplanting outdoors. Turning it under, add aged compost to your planting area. Make shallow furrows for the heirloom catnip seeds and cover them with 1/8 inch of loose soil. When seedlings reach two inches in height, thin or transplant them to a distance of around 12 inches.

When flower buds form on your heirloom catnip plants, clip them back to keep them full. When transplanting outdoors, be careful not to bruise the leaves, as this will emit the oils that attract cats. Only water your plants when the soil is completely dry. In the spring, cut heirloom catnip back to the ground to promote growth and appearance for the following flowering season.

Eden Brothers, a leading online provider of Catnip Herb Seeds, sells two heirloom catnip seed varieties. These varieties include Eden Brothers' Heirloom Catnip Seeds and Heirloom Catmint Seeds. For wholesale pricing on large contracts, contact Eden Brothers.

For more information about planting, growing, and caring for heirloom catnip seed, see the Catnip Seeds Planting Guide.