Interactive lesson

Herb garden, step by step

Interactive lesson: from a bare patch of ground to a finished herb garden — how much you need, where to put it, three groups of plants, shape, planting and winter.

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The whole lesson as text

1. What and how much

You do not need herbs by the kilo, but by the kind.

A list of what you use — In the first year plant 8–10 kinds that you already use. Once you see what grows and what you use up, add new ones.
How much ground — For a family of four, 8–15 m² of culinary and tea herbs is enough.
Few plants of each kind — One lovage plant is enough for the whole family. Two sage bushes give more leaves than you can use.
Tea for the whole winter — One cup of tea takes roughly 1.5–2 g of dried herb, so 300 cups need about 0.5–0.6 kg (1–1.3 lb). For that, add another 5–10 m² of tea herbs.

Why: Ten square metres of well-planned herb garden gives a family seasoning for the whole year and tea for the winter. The plan starts with a list of the herbs you actually use, not everything the garden centre happens to stock.

A garden of 30 kinds, one plant of each, looks lovely, but you will struggle to pick a single pot of tea from it.
Sage, lavender and lovage last 10 years or more in a good spot.

2. The spot

Herbs fifty metres from the house do not get picked.

At least 6 hours of sun — Mediterranean herbs need 8 hours or more. In shade, sage and thyme grow leggy, smell weaker and rot.
Close to the kitchen — Within 20–30 steps of the kitchen door. Closer is better.
Water and shelter — A tap or a water butt within reach. A south-facing wall soaks up heat by day and gives it back at night, and a hedge on the north side breaks the wind.
What to avoid — A frost pocket at the bottom of a slope, ground where water lies and the edge of a field that a neighbour sprays. Keep at least 30–50 m (100–165 ft) from a busy road, because lead and soot end up in your cup.

Why: When you are cooking and need a handful of parsley, you will not pull on your boots and walk to the far end of the holding. So the herb garden goes in zone one: by the kitchen, along the path to the house or next to the patio.

Mint, lemon balm, parsley and chives cope with 3–4 hours of sun, so they can go in the part shade on the east side.
Do not plant on an old tip, next to a heating-oil tank or against a wall with old lead paint. If you do not know the history of the spot, build a raised bed with bought-in topsoil.