by Emma Cooper

Created on: September 22, 2007   Last Updated: February 20, 2011

Herb gardening is all about putting the right plant in the right place, or finding the right herb for your space. There are so many herb plants available that it's easy to find the right one for you. There are sun-loving perennial herbs (such as rosemary, thyme and lavender) that thrive in hot, dry and sunny locations. They'll love being in containers on the patio or the deck. And there are perennials that prefer more water and a little bit of shade. Try mint, lemon balm or sorrel if you have a cooler location or a north-facing windowbox. For perennial herbs its usually easiest to buy a plant from the nursery.

Annual herbs such as parsley, cilantro and basil are easily grown from seed each spring (although you can buy plants, too). Basil loves a sunny spot and plenty of water; parsley and cilantro also want plenty of water but they prefer a cooler position.

If you want to have a dedicated herb garden then consider making a herb spiral, that naturally caters to the different requirements that these herbs have.

A HERB SPIRAL

An herb spiral is an herb garden that pulls together many permaculture design principles and follows a shape the spiral that is commonly found in nature. At its heart is a mound of soil, about 2 meters in diameter and 1 meter tall. This is a no dig' garden you should be able to reach all parts of the spiral without stepping on it, so soil compaction is avoided. A line of rocks spirals around the mound, from the bottom right to the top.

Together, the mound and the rocks provide a range of niches and micro climates that will suit the cultivation of many different herbs. The north-facing side will be cooler, and the soil at the bottom of the spiral will be much drier than the soil at the top. So mints and watercress should thrive (although it does depend on your climate and the site of the spiral) at the bottom on the north side. The spiral winds upwards, through sunny and shady sides, and the soil gets progressively drier. At the very top conditions should be ideal for the Mediterranean herbs such as oregano and rosemary.

As with all permaculture projects, the key to success with an herb spiral is to do your homework before you start. Think about which herbs you would like in your garden the ones that you use most often is a good place to start. The next step is to research each herb's preferences and then allocate them to an area on the spiral. Only once you've found each herb its perfect niche should you start to build the spiral. If you haven't got enough shade, then you could consider planting a climbing plant up a trellis on the sunny side of the spiral.

An herb spiral is essentially just a raised bed with a collection of different micro climates and could be used to grow any collection of plants once you have a spiral of culinary herbs you could consider building a spiral to attract bees and butterflies to your garden or using one as a very attractive vegetable plot!

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