Top Tips On How To Segment Your Herb Garden
Herb Gardens can be a funny thing. There are a ton of choices and many ways to get one moving. The below is a grouping of our very best tips that we have found have really worked over the long haul.
Group like herbs together by theme - Themes could consist of culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, or even aromatic herbs. This is a good choice of theme for a traditional herb garden design. Annuals and perennials are best grown separately. It makes for easier work when reseeding next season.
Group like herbs together by growing requirements - What are the growing requirements? There is amount of sun, height of plant, soil drainage, soil quality and growth rate to consider. It is important to know the various requirements for herbs, especially if you decide to sow them between different vegetables in your already established garden.
Growing herbs with vegetables - This is perfectly acceptable with a few tips. Be sure to seed shorter herbs where they can get full sun and not be overshadowed by tall vegetable plants. The same goes for tall herbs overshadowing shorter vegetable plants. Get familiar with problems concerning cross-pollination.
For example, fennel and dill will cross-pollinate and create odd-tasting seed. Mints can become invasive and take over your herb or vegetable garden area. Avoid planting dill near tomatoes. Borage can pick up the squash vine borer if planted near this vegetable and turn into a sticky mess that needs replanting. Raised beds - Raised beds can be an option for herb gardening. They are decorative and can be fashioned in any design you like. You can group herbs together as you like and avoid a lot of maintenance. Make sure to raise them high enough for herbs that have deeper roots. Pest control is easier to manage and so is weeding. Raised beds also help with soil quality problems. Even in raised beds, though, invasive herbs will still keep better when planted in soil in their pots. For outdoor gardening, location is everything. Here are a few things to consider in the process.
Sunlight - Herbs need everything from full sun (about 6 hours a day) to full shade. Full sun plants would probably perform better on the south and west side of the house; full shade on the north or east side. Again, it all depends on how your house is situated on your land. Basil, oregano, garlic, chamomile, cilantro and thyme are among the herbs that don't mind full sun. On the shadier side, you have parsley, chives, lemon balm, ginger and mints.
Amount of moisture - Will you need wet soil or dry? Most herbs will not grow if the soil is too wet. Some which are native to Mediterranean climates (like oregano and thyme) are accustomed to drier, more rocky soils that provide good drainage. After all, that is what you want in your soil - good drainage.
Group like herbs together by theme - Themes could consist of culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, or even aromatic herbs. This is a good choice of theme for a traditional herb garden design. Annuals and perennials are best grown separately. It makes for easier work when reseeding next season.
Group like herbs together by growing requirements - What are the growing requirements? There is amount of sun, height of plant, soil drainage, soil quality and growth rate to consider. It is important to know the various requirements for herbs, especially if you decide to sow them between different vegetables in your already established garden.
Growing herbs with vegetables - This is perfectly acceptable with a few tips. Be sure to seed shorter herbs where they can get full sun and not be overshadowed by tall vegetable plants. The same goes for tall herbs overshadowing shorter vegetable plants. Get familiar with problems concerning cross-pollination.
For example, fennel and dill will cross-pollinate and create odd-tasting seed. Mints can become invasive and take over your herb or vegetable garden area. Avoid planting dill near tomatoes. Borage can pick up the squash vine borer if planted near this vegetable and turn into a sticky mess that needs replanting. Raised beds - Raised beds can be an option for herb gardening. They are decorative and can be fashioned in any design you like. You can group herbs together as you like and avoid a lot of maintenance. Make sure to raise them high enough for herbs that have deeper roots. Pest control is easier to manage and so is weeding. Raised beds also help with soil quality problems. Even in raised beds, though, invasive herbs will still keep better when planted in soil in their pots. For outdoor gardening, location is everything. Here are a few things to consider in the process.
Sunlight - Herbs need everything from full sun (about 6 hours a day) to full shade. Full sun plants would probably perform better on the south and west side of the house; full shade on the north or east side. Again, it all depends on how your house is situated on your land. Basil, oregano, garlic, chamomile, cilantro and thyme are among the herbs that don't mind full sun. On the shadier side, you have parsley, chives, lemon balm, ginger and mints.
Amount of moisture - Will you need wet soil or dry? Most herbs will not grow if the soil is too wet. Some which are native to Mediterranean climates (like oregano and thyme) are accustomed to drier, more rocky soils that provide good drainage. After all, that is what you want in your soil - good drainage.
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