Outdoor Week: How To Create An Easy Herb Garden - Bobby Berk (2024)

FAQs

What is the best layout for an herb garden? ›

Plant short, shade-tolerant plants beneath taller, bushy plants. When you mix sun-loving plants, put tall ones at the north end of the plot and small ones at the south end, so all will get needed sun. Plant herbs throughout the garden, especially basil, mint, sage, and dill. EXCEPTION: Keep dill away from carrots.

Basil. A staple of Italian and Thai cooking, basil is the perfect starter herb from the Lamiaceae plant family, allowing you to master the basics of growing its cousins including rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, marjoram, mint, and oregano.

Sage, rosemary, thyme, and lavender can all be planted together in the same garden bed as they have similar growing requirements and are known to be complementary to each other. These herbs prefer well-drained soil, full sun exposure, and infrequent watering, making them ideal companions.

Most herbs need a fair amount of sunlight. As long as an herb is growing in a space where it gets at least 4 hours of sunlight a day, it will most likely do well. Most can tolerate much more sunlight, though, with herbs like rosemary, lavender and basil thriving in full sun (6 – 8 hours a day).

Most herbs thrive in full sun in a sheltered position. You can grow herbs indoors on the windowsill, in pots outdoors or straight in the ground. Sow seeds of annual herbs like basil and coriander every couple of weeks to provide you with fresh leaves throughout summer.

Plants to avoid

While many herbs grow well together with basil, there are also herbs and plants that you should avoid at all costs! These include basil, cucumbers, sage, thyme, common rue and fennel. Cucumbers tend to compete with basil for resources like water and nutrients, stunting the growth of your basil plant.

Generally, you start herb seeds indoors from February to March. February is best for warmer and mild climates, while March is better for colder climates. You don't want to start too early. Herbs can get leggy when grown indoors searching for sun, but it can sometimes still be too cold to plant them outside.

Ideally herbs like a sunny, sheltered location with well-drained soil.

In fact, lavender is the most difficult herb to keep alive, with 10,400 plant parents in need of help every month. Basil, mint and rosemary also come close behind, followed by popular herbs such as coriander, dill and parsley.

Rosemary. Rosemary, a plant that originally hails from the Mediterranean climate, is perhaps the ideal house plant because it doesn't require a lot of water. In fact, it loathes too much water and will quickly drown if you're too overzealous.

What are the best low maintenance herbs? ›

Herbs such as dill, cilantro, and basil are easy to grow from seed. Lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme are easily grown from purchased plants. “Mint and oregano are easy to divide, so ask a fellow gardener for a start of their plant,” Fishburn says.

Soil is just as important as sunlight for growing herbs. Amend with organic compost to improve soil health and drainage. Spring is a good time to start herb gardens in most of the country.

If you plan to grow and maintain your kitchen herb garden indoors, you can start at any time of the year. But if you're thinking about creating a little herb corner in your garden or outdoor planter, then the best time to start planting herbs is spring, once the danger of frost has passed.

Fill a clean pot with potting mix. Make a hole in the centre of the potting mix large enough for the herb's entire root ball. Carefully place the herb in the hole, making sure the plant is at the same depth as it was in the previous pot. Backfill around the herb, pressing the mix down firmly.