How to Build an Herb Garden Articles | Garden Information Center

Unlike many other plants, all herbs need to thrive is plenty of sun and a little bit of water. They do not require any sort of spraying, trimming or fertilizing and can grow in almost any type of soil, so learning how to build an herb garden is a pretty simple task.

Creating a flourishing herb garden takes more than just sowing the seeds and letting them grow. Therefore, it is important to have some basic herb garden plans before you even put the seeds in the ground.

Because herbs can grow well in poor conditions, it is easy for them to overgrow. Lavender and yarrow can grow like wildfire over large areas. Even chives can proliferate quickly. Be sure you have enough space in your pot or garden for the plants you wish to grow.

Herbs will thrive contentedly as long as they have a foot of space or so betwixt the main sections. For example, chives have a nice appearance and grow well together - but their roots need space for nutrition and water. Other plants nearby will provide competition for the nutrients so be sure to keep that in mind when making your herb garden plans.

Soil preparation for herbs is important when learning how to build an herb garden, but it is not difficult. A wide range of herbs will thrive on a mix of clay and sandy loam or a good compost. Be sure to provide sufficient drainage. A good amount of herbs originate from the Mediterranean, so they can thrive in somewhat dry and rocky soil. Their evolution occurred in areas with adequate drainage, but all herbs need watering. Be sure the soil is moist, but not soaking wet.

To name a few, Lavender and Sage will thrive without you having to water them. Rainfall seems to be enough for them. Peppermint will need additional watering which can be supplied by an automatic drip system.

It's better to prevent weeds from taking hold in the first place instead of trying to remove them later. One way to do this is to put down a barrier of landscape fabric. If you don't take this precaution, you'll just end up having to dig up weeds by hand, or worse yet, needing to use an herbicide product. This should be avoided as some herbs are biologically similar to weeds, so you might just end up killing off what you're trying to protect. You would also be putting chemicals into something you may want to eat.

Herbs have a good resistance to bugs. However, you might still want to include some "sacrifice" plants in your herb garden plans. For example Dill is an excellent "trap plant" that invites pests to it instead of your other plants.

One thing about learning how to build an herb garden is knowing which herbs will prosper during each different season. Some will thrive year round, but others need to be planted in four week intervals. Yet others must be planted once the winter snows melt.