How To Plant A Culinary Herb Garden
Planting a culinary herb garden need not be an complicated thing. Herbs can be grown in a container outside your door or even in small pots on your window ledge. So whether you’ve got a big area available or just a small room on your terrace, there’s no reason as to why you shouldn’t try your hand at raising herbs.
What you decide to grow will depend upon what your prefer to eat and what environment your plants will be exposed to. Locations facing south and west are inclined to be sunny and hot and suit herbs that naturally develop in warmer environments such as bay, rosemary, dill and lemon verbena.
Shade loving culinary herbs such as borage, parsley and mint will grow better in a north or east facing exposure.
If are planning to raise your herbs in a raised bed vegetable garden or straight into the land, make sure your site is as near to your home as is possible. This will prevent you from being put off picking them when the weather is wet or cold. This may be a useful tip should you choose to grow a vegetable garden also.
You can make the arrangement look more attractive by choosing culinary herbs in a range of hues and shades and with differing foliage such as that produced by mint, thyme and sage. The differing shades of greens, reds, purples and greys can be very attractive but it’s a great idea to draw out a highlighted plan before you in fact plant anything, to get a good picture of how the planting will literally look. It’s easier to reorganize on paper than once the plants are in the ground or container!
Be conscious that some plants spread very fast and deplete the water and obstruct sunlight from other plants. A popular example of this is the mint family. If you fancy this kind of plant it’s better to grow them in an individual container.
Should you grow them in the earth make sure you add barriers so your plants cannot multiply so effortlessly. An over ground example of this would be a small hedge of a plant such as lavender. Or you could make use of stone pavers, bricks, or create narrow channels from chippings. These have the additional benefit of creating a landscaped design and you will be in a position to gather your herbs without difficulty from the paths without interfering with the other plants close by.