How To Build An Herb Garden
Unlike many other plants, all herbs need to thrive is plenty of sun and a little bit of water. They do not require any sort of spraying, trimming or fertilizing and can grow in almost any type of soil, so learning how to build an herb garden is a pretty simple task.
That being said, you can’t just throw some seeds in the ground and expect a great garden. You need to have some basic herb garden plans before you start planting.
First of all, herbs can grow even in poor conditions that other plants can not tolerate. This makes it very easy for them to become overgrown. For example, both Lavender and Yarrow have been known to spread and overtake amazingly large areas. Even Chives can grow at a surprising rate. Keep this in mind when planning your garden making sure to allocate plenty of space for the herbs you are going to grow.
Herbs will flourish if there is a space of about a foot for each major growing section so your herb garden plans should include enough space for the herbs you want to grow. Chives grow well in bunches. However, their roots still need space so that they can get the water and nutrients that they need without competing with other herbs in your garden.
There is very little groundwork to be done when learning how to build an herb garden. For a wide variety of them a good mixture of sandy loam and clay will be appropriate. Take care that there is enough space to let the excess water drain off. A lot of herbs are from Mediterranean and so are suited for waterless and stony earth with good drain facility. Still herbs require a little water to keep them moist.
To name a few, Lavender and Sage will thrive without you having to water them. Rainfall seems to be enough for them. Peppermint will need additional watering which can be supplied by an automatic drip system.
Landscape fabric is a great way to keep weeds from growing in your garden, ruining the beauty of your garden and choking out your precious herbs. Digging up weeds later can be tiring and frustrating, while using herbicides might kill your herbs since they have a similar makeup. You also do not want to spray poison on your future food supply.
Most herbs repel insects, but you probably want to consider a ‘trap crop’ in your herb garden plans that you can sacrifice for the preservation of the others. Dill makes a decent one, as it attracts bugs away from your other plants such as tomatoes. You can use a minimal amount of insecticide to save your dill crop, but use the smallest amount that you can still get away with.
One thing about learning how to build an herb garden is knowing when to plant. Plan when you are going to plant which herbs by judging how well they will do at the beginning of the year and at various times throughout the year. There are herbs that can be sown anytime, others that can be planted at intervals of four weeks, and as early as possible after the snow melts.
