HERB GARDEN MAKEOVER

 Who doesn’t love a herb garden?! A salad never tasted so good as the one that comes out of your own homegrown produce. We believe every home needs a herb garden, regardless of whether or not you even have a garden. Herb gardens can be created on  a patio, in a retaining wall, and in a variety of amazing ways with planter boxes.

In this herb garden makeover project, we searched for the sunniest part of the garden. The chosen section of the garden was previously an unused patch of lawn on the north facing sunny corner of the house. The perfect spot.  Garden design was key here as it was the home owners wish to not only create a delectable herb garden, but one with an eye-catching design. With this in mind, we cut a large square patch out of the lawn and used repurposed paving blocks to create 4 individual quadrants in the square. Each quadrant would hold a variety of herbs and green leafy vegetables, and the pavers would create  easy access to caring for and harvesting the produce.

We used a beautiful terracotta pot in the centre of the 4 quadrants as a feature, and a variety of taller pots at the back of the garden towards the trellis, to build up some height. These are a collection of old pots from here and there that have been re painted and are now great herb containers

We planted a selection of herb seedlings as well as a selection of seeds including cauliflower and courgette seeds.  We are very excited that about 80% of both have germinated, and the owner now waits in anticipation to reap the crop.

The herb garden is also right next to the rain-water harvesting tank, which also makes for easy watering in the morning or evening with pure, fresh, organic rain water.

A FEW BENEFITS OF HAVING A HERB GARDEN:

·       If you choose a patch of garden that was previously lawn, this will mean less lawn mowing in future, reducing your carbon footprint.

·       If you have a herb garden that you don’t use chemicals on and that you have been mulching, you will be eating fully organic, home-grown produce

·       Despite the initial outlay, having your own herb garden creates a huge cost-saving in the long term. Instead of paying the retailer for fresh produce, you can now spend that money on expanding your herb garden for a greater return on your small investment.

·       Convenience is one of the best benefits! You now have a complete fresh pantry at your fingertips whilst cooking that gastronomic delight. No more having to rush out to the grocers for that last forgotten herb, whilst your dishes risk being spoilt on the stove.

·       Herb gardens are a delight to the sense. You can SEE the great rewards of your labour, you can HEAR the birdsong on the morning as you stand watering the garden, you can FEEL the fresh, crisp produce in your own hands, and you can SMELL the delights of your produce as you harvest them and prepare them for cooking, and finally, of course, you can TASTE their amazing busts of pleasure in your dishes,

 OUR TOP 5 TIPS FOR GROWING YOUR OWN HERB GARDEN

•  Remember most importantly that herb gardens require full sun. They will not flourish in shade.

• The quality of the soil for a herb garden is an important factor. Be sure to enrich the soil with compost and turn the soil really well to aerate it and get the compost well dug in.

• If you are planting in pots, use a really good potting soil and add a water absorbing liquid to the potting soil to help regulate the watering, as these very sunny positions in the garden means the potting soil dries out quickly.

• Feeding a herb garden is very important. Use an organic liquid fertilizer  which you can pour onto the herbs via a watering can. Once a month would be sufficient.

• Mulch your herb garden to keep as much of the moisture in the soil as possible

   

Have a look at the awesome before and after video of this garden makeover: