Having your own little herb bed is a nice thing. However, creating a new one requires good planning - this will ensure you have higher and higher quality harvest chances. Below, find out about one of the most important factors: location.
Which location should you choose for a herb bed?
The ideal location for a herb bed depends on the growth requirements of the selected herbs as well as the available space and the design requirements. Mediterranean herbs require full sun, while native species also thrive in partial shade and some forest herbs can even tolerate shade.
The cardinal questions about the herb bed location
Where you plant your herb bed depends on various factors:
- The growth requirements of your favorite herbs
- Your space available
- Your garden design requirements
What herbs want
On the one hand, you certainly want to offer your aromatic culinary and medicinal plants good conditions to thrive. The first point of reference for choosing the location is the choice of herbs, which have very different requirements for sun and soil.
Varieties from the south, especially the classic Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary or oregano, need a location that is as sunny and warm as possible and a rather lean, permeable, stony substrate
Native species such as chives, parsley, fennel, chervil and lovage also thrive in partial shade. To do 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.
Planning with what is there
Of course there is also the practical question of space. If you have a large garden, you have greater freedom of choice. If you only have a small garden or even just a terrace or balcony, you have to adapt a little - in terms of bed dimensions and also the choice of herbs.
While there are hardly any limits to how much space you have, you need some organizational skills on the balcony. Of course, this depends 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 (€38.00 on Amazon) with pretty side troughs or a simple flower box instead of a bed.
The aesthetic aspect
Ultimately, of course, your creative standards play a role. If you also want to beautify your garden oasis by creating a herb bed, consider your usual garden usage habits when choosing a location.
Do you sit on the terrace a lot and want to enjoy the view of a decorative herb snail? Or get inspired to create aromatic recipes just by looking out the kitchen window?
Even along a garden path, a snug strip of herb beds with all sorts of leaves - possibly also divided into parts of flowers - can be an attractive feast for the eyes.
