The Best Outdoor
Position
For Your Herb Garden
The best
location for your herb garden:
> Will be near the house
> Have good access
> Receives full sun most of the day
> Has well drained fertile soil
> Is reasonably level
> Is sheltered from cold winds and frost
> Is protected from pets
Does your intended spot meet the above criteria? Sure? Lucky you.
If not. Don’t despair…
Most of us have a very limited choice when selecting a location
for our herb garden. Knowing how to use what you have and turning
that to your advantage spells the difference between success and
failure.
Hear Henry Ford on this: “You say I started out with practically
nothing, but that isn't correct. We all start with all there is.
It's how we use it that makes things possible.”
But what if?…
The best spot in your garden is currently occupied by your
partner’s prize roses.
Dump the roses. Don’t let the threat of an expensive divorce –
obviously assisted by your threatening behaviour with the spade –
stand between you and that prize spot.
Roses are lovely. But herbs are simply wonderful.
It’s like my mother-in-law's menu. We always have two choices: Take
it or leave it.
Let’s get serious… and discuss to important aspects in a little
more detail.
Good access
Two points to consider. First make sure that when planted each one
of your herbs will be within arms length. It makes tending them a
lot easier.
Next, ensure that you don’t need to walk a mile, in the dark,
through ten other garden beds, to reach your herb garden.
The natural position for a culinary herb garden is as close to the
kitchen as possible. Simply because the closer they are to your
kitchen door, the more likely they are to find their way to your
dinner table.
But, bear in mind that many kitchens are south-facing and receives
limited sun. To a certain extent the same applies to a medicinal
herb garden.
The perfect position should be in plain sight as well. Where you
will pass it each day as you enter and leave the house.
An aromatic garden can be anywhere where you will be able to enjoy
the aromas. Below windows. In pots, or next to the patio or pool.
One of the advantages of herbs is that they can be planted almost
anywhere. So if you don’t have the space to devote to a herb
garden as such look for spots and crannies in between existing
borders and beds in your garden.
Don’t discard the idea of a few herbs in containers, either
indoors or outdoors. Herbs are exceptionally easy to grow as pot
plants.
Sunlight
Yes, it really is that critical. First prize is full sun
throughout the day.
The minimum is about half the amount of available sunlight during
the day. Just morning sun or just afternoon sun for example. Or
perhaps somewhere in between.
If your herbs don’t get enough sunshine a couple of things might
happen:
> The quality won’t be as good as those growing in full sun. But
rest assured. The difference is normally so small that you won’t
even notice it.
> They will tend to grow leggy. This is easily corrected by
pruning – harvesting – more often.
> They will probably need less water. That’s a bonus. But be
careful of over watering.
> They will produce “softer” growth, which will be more prone to
pests and diseases. This is a little more serious. You’ll need to
be wide-awake and act immediately if you discover any pests or
diseases.
Beware of trees or large shrubs in the vicinity of your herb
garden. They will rob your herbs of water and nutrients. And the
extra shade is something your herbs definitely don’t need.
If your spot don’t have any sun at all you can still grow herbs.
In this case it will be indoors with the help of special ‘grow
lights’ and lots of special care.
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