Basic Herb Garden

Establishing a basic herb garden is something that can be done fairly quickly and easily, depending on where you’re putting the garden, and whether or not the soil is prepared for plants.

I’m going to talk a little about soil preparation, however I do have more extensive information on how to plant flowers available to you as well.

I’m going to be placing my basic herb garden in a small location, approximately 4’ by 5’, located at the end of my driveway. The soil in that particular area is very poor – lots of clay and gravel – so I will have to build it up quite a bit before planting, however it is a very sunny location for most of the day, and I think the herbs will just love it!

As I discuss on my page about how to plant flowers, one of the most important steps in planting any garden is the actual preparation of the soil before hand.

It’s this way with almost any project you’re going to do around your house. Take painting, for example. The actual painting itself is probably the least important when it comes to the final outcome of the job. More important is that the walls are clean and free of debris (like dog hair and dirt), that any essential top base has been applied (like primer over drywall), protective covering is placed on the floor, and that the edging is either applied very carefully, or painter’s tape has been applied. Miss any of these important steps and the whole paint job could be a total failure.

The same is true when laying out your garden landscape designs. You’ll want to prepare the soil before putting your plants in the ground. Fail to do this correctly, and you could lose your precious babies.

Step I.

If you know that you have healthy, well-drained soil, you may need to do nothing other than adequately till it prior to planting. Because my soil is so poor, I’m actually going to build it up first so I can create a raised bed for my basic herb garden.

I’ll lay down 4-6 sheets of newspaper to get rid of the weed and misc plant growth that I had in the area. (Make sure that any plant growth is cut to the ground before laying the newspaper down.)

Then I’m going to pile some of my kitchen compost material left over from this winter on top of the newspaper. This will add vitamins and nutrients to the soil which will help the herbs grow.

Lastly I’ll add some top soil mixed with packaged compost (the nice crumbly kind you buy in bags from the store) and sphagnum peat moss, and build that up at least several inches.

Ideally I’ll be doing this extremely early in spring so that the compost material has time to break down before I place the plants in the ground.

Step II.

While you can certainly start your basic herb garden from seed, I prefer to purchase my herbs as live plants. I feel the need to see, feel and smell the herbs when I’m choosing them, and I don’t want to wait around for seeds to germinate and establish themselves.

I always purchase my herb plants at a local store as opposed to online (this goes along with the seeing, feeling, and smelling I just talked about). Then I arrange them on the dirt (while still in their containers) so that I can decided on the best arrangement. Make sure you take into account how large the plant will be once it’s developed. You wouldn’t want a 3-footer to stand in front of a 12-incher!

These are my favorites for a basic herb garden:

Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Cilantro
Dill
Mint

Some of these plants are annuals and some are perennials or biennials. To learn more about the growth habits, and other information about the plants for a basic herb garden, visit Pantry Garden Herbs (opens new window).

Step III.

Put the plants in the ground. Aaaahhhhh! Finally!

When I do this, I make sure to separate the root system of the plant so that it can more easily establish itself in it’s new home. I also make sure that I fill the hole with water before placing the plant in it. This helps ensure that the plant has enough water to start out.

Be sure to press the plant firmly in the hole so that there are no air pockets left around the root system.

Step IV.

Cover with some type of mulch to protect the newly placed plant, and to prevent the water from evaporating as quickly.

Give the plant some breathing room around the roots, and avoid placing mulch in this area.

Step V.

Water your new plants thoroughly! You don’t want to over water them, but when plants are first establishing themselves for a few weeks after planting, water them at least a couple of times per week.

That’s it! You have your very own basic herb garden!

Enjoy!

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