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Planning your herb garden

There is a lot to be said for letting your garden grow wild to provide a mini ecosystem for bees, butterflies and wildflowers; however, if you actually want to produce crops for you and your family to eat, it’s necessary to do a little planning.

How to begin

Herbs and spices can be grown in different places around the garden; for example, it’s always a good idea to have a basil plant growing with your tomatoes every year, but many herbs are perennial and will benefit from having their own space. A custom-made herb garden can thrive for years with very little maintenance, given the right conditions and a little TLC from time to time. One of the best ways to maintain herbs is to actually pick them and use them; it is easy to overlook small herbs but most will benefit if used regularly.

Herbs and spices are very accommodating plants and most will be happy in containers, so if you are short of outdoor garden space, growing in pots is an ideal alternative.

As with any sort of gardening, it’s best to first decide what you want to grow and then do a little research to make sure it’s feasible in your part of the world – growing mangos outdoors in a cool, temperate climate is probably a non-starter.

What to grow

The first step to planning your herb garden is to decide what to grow. Firstly, choose those herbs and spices your family likes to eat. The second consideration is your particular climate and soil and then the space you have available for this kind of project. The herbs and spices listed in this book are for culinary use, although most have other uses in preventative medicines and cures for minor ailments.

If you use a lot of tomatoes in the kitchen, then basil is a must in your herb garden since it enhances the flavour of tomatoes, especially home-grown ones. Basil is an annual herb in moderate climates and needs to be sown every year, but other herbs such as thyme, sage and mint will come up on their own year after year. Aloe vera is a useful herb, especially in the kitchen as the sap from the leaves can be used to soothe minor burns; it is grown commercially now for its healing properties and is added to many products.

Read through the descriptions and growing requirements of the herbs and spices in this book and note down the ones that appeal to you and those you think you might like to grow. A little planning goes a long way here, but don’t get bogged down in too much detail.

Where to grow

Deciding where to grow your herbs and spices is the next most important step after choosing your seeds or plants. You will probably have some idea already from when you researched which herbs to grow – some need to be grown indoors or in a greenhouse while others may prefer full sun or partial shade. Always take into consideration the preferred environment for each plant. Many plants will run to seed in hot midday sun but many need some sun during the day.

Preparing the space

Although it is not essential in most cases, you might check the pH balance of your soil since some plants won’t tolerate very acidic soil. Get the balance right and you will produce better crops.

Avoid digging over a large patch as soon as the weather allows it. Unless you do a physical day job, the chances are that prolonged digging of heavy soil will result in an aching back and could put you out of garden action for weeks. It can also discourage you from continuing. Take it slowly if you are preparing a large plot – a little digging every day will get the job done and it won’t feel so much like a chore.

Some people are put off by the idea of gardening because they have the impression that gardening is back-breaking work, but this doesn’t have to be the case. If you are physically challenged or aren’t inclined to get stuck into the digging, employ someone else to do the job for you, which will mean that you have all of the pleasures and not too much hard work!

Remove any perennial weeds, large stones and non-organic debris from the soil and hoe or rake the soil to a fine consistency before planting young plants or sowing seeds.

Designing a herb garden

Space permitting, a specially designed herb garden is a delightful addition to any garden. It doesn’t have to be large – herbs are very accommodating and many will be happy to grow closely together in a small space. Herbs can be grown along the borders of a flowerbed, in a raised bed or you could adopt the French potager design idea where vegetables are grown in small beds with herbs fringing the edges.

This is a good plan if you are growing other crops since the strong scents of herbs and spices help deter bugs and viruses from fruit and vegetable crops. Otherwise simply have the herb bed as small or large as your garden can cope with.

Containers

There are very few herbs that can’t be grown in containers. You can find containers in all shapes and sizes and a good garden centre will have a variety to suit your particular needs. If you are planning to grow plants in large containers or tubs, consider mobility. It may be worthwhile investing in a pot mover if the plants need to be moved indoors or into a greenhouse or conservatory during the winter months.

Containers should be moved around from time to time to prevent insects and other wildlife taking up residence in or under the pot. They should always be well drained, and preferably placed on a stand to allow for air circulation and drainage. Never let your containers dry out. With a few exceptions, water is essential for the full development of your plants.

Look out for old pots and containers in charity shops or car boot (trunk) sales. A few antique-style pots artfully arranged on a patio planted up with thriving herbs can look spectacular. Plain pots can be painted or glazed and personalized to suit your outdoor décor or to enhance the colour scheme in your kitchen.

Dealing with pests

Herbs and spices are naturally a gardener’s friend, since many possess strong scents that deter a number of bugs, especially tiny but destructive aphids. Carefully position herbs around the garden, even if they are in containers, to shield your vegetables and other crops from pests. Luckily, bees are very attracted to the flowers of herb and spice plants, so if you have a plentiful supply of these, the bees will love your garden and help pollinate other crops.

One problem that never seems to go away is the slug and snail population. Given the chance, there are few young plants that slugs won’t eat. Protect your young plants in whatever organic way possible – a bowl of beer is said to distract slugs from plants, and crushed eggshells spread around the plants’ stems will stop these gastropods for a while. Dry sand spread in a similar way helps for a time but as soon as it gets wet, slugs take no notice of it at all.

Get the birds to help out; dig over a patch of ground and walk away, allowing the waiting birds to collect any unearthed slugs and snails. If you can do this at the crack of dawn when the birds are hungry, so much the better. The only downside is that encouraging the birds will also put your seeds at risk. Use wildlife-friendly netting and cover all lines of seeds and young seedlings for a few weeks until plants are growing well.

Pest control

Grow a couple of garlic plants in the rose bed and always include a few in the vegetable garden to deter aphids.

A pot of basil growing on a windowsill will help prevent flies from entering the house.

Recycle, reuse, restore

A trip to the garden centre can be expensive even if you are only stocking up on a few basic seed trays or pots. Before making an expensive trip, have a good look around your own home – lots of packaging and containers can be utilized in the garden, and you will be doing your bit for the environment as well as saving some cash.

Pots

Save yoghurt and dessert-type plastic pots throughout the year for seed sowing and bringing on seedlings. Wash and dry thoroughly and store in a recycling box until they are needed. Punch holes in the bottom of each pot for drainage.

The inner cardboard tubes from kitchen (paper towel) and toilet paper rolls make perfect biodegradable pots. They may need cutting in half or trimming. Squash the tubes together in a tray when sowing seeds and they should last long enough to be planted straight out into the garden or repotted.

Trays

Recent decorating projects may have left you with a couple of paint trays hanging around. Wash and dry well, punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage and keep these in the recycle box. Ask your friends and neighbours if they have any spare paint trays they don’t want.

Plastic covers

A mineral water bottle cut in half can be transformed into two mini-greenhouses and will protect individual plants from cold nights. Clear plastic sheeting from packaging should also be saved and can be turned into small makeshift cloches, which are invaluable in early spring.

Cutlery

Keep a couple of old spoons or forks from the cutlery drawer for the garden. They are ideal tools for dealing with small plants in a greenhouse or potting shed.

Look out for garden possibilities before you commit anything to the rubbish. Large clean tin cans and old metal buckets can be transformed into interesting planters once you’ve made some drainage holes in the bottom. Old chimney pots, wooden crates and wine boxes all have garden use potential.

Get the kids involved

Save lolly (lollipop) sticks, straws and other paraphernalia for pot markers and seed rows. Getting the kids to collect stuff for a project now will help generate lots of interest in the garden later on.