Having your own little herb bed is a wonderful thing. Planting a new one requires good planning - this will ensure you have higher and better quality harvest opportunities. Find out more about one of the most important factors below: the location.
Most herbs like it sunny
The cardinal questions about the herb bed location
Where you create your herb bed depends on various factors:
- The growth requirements of your favorite herbs
- your space offer
- Your garden design requirements
What herbs want
On the one hand, you want to offer your aromatic kitchen and medicinal plants good conditions for them to thrive. The first point of orientation when choosing the location is therefore the choice of herbs, which have quite different requirements for sun and soil.
Varieties from the south, above all, of course, the classic Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary or oregano, need a location that is as full and warm as possible and a rather poor, well-drained, stony substrate
Native species such as chives, parsley, fennel, chervil or lovage also thrive well in partial shade. For this they need a rather rich soil with compost.
A few types of herbs that grow in the wild on forest floors can also be grown in the shade: These include woodruff, wild garlic or mint.
Plan with what is there
Of course, there is also the practical question of space. If you have a large garden, you have more freedom of choice. If you only have a small garden or even just a terrace or a balcony, you have to make some adjustments - with regard to the bed dimensions and the choice of herbs.
While there are hardly any limits with a large amount of space, you need some organizational skills on the balcony. You are of course dependent on the orientation of the balcony - Mediterranean herbs are of course difficult to grow on a north-facing balcony. To save space, you can also use combined terracotta pots with pretty side troughs or a simple flower box (€16.99) instead of a bed.
The aesthetic aspect
Ultimately, of course, your design requirements play a role. If you also intend to beautify your garden oasis by creating a herb bed, consider your usual garden usage habits when choosing the location.
Do you sit on the terrace a lot and want to enjoy the view of a decorative herb snail? Or get inspiration for aromatic recipes just by looking out of the kitchen window?
Along a garden path, too, a herb bed that hugs the border with its all sorts of leaves - possibly also subdivided with flower parts - can be an attractive feast for the eyes.