If you ordered a bulk delivery, use a shovel and wheelbarrow to fill your herb spiral with soil. 5. Place low creepers, like thyme and chamomile, on opposite path edges to complement each other. Geotextile, pond liner or large container Filed Under: Food Gardening Tagged With: Herbs. I just rebuilt my spiral and put some fencing inside to try to keep them out. You can check out a video of me building that spiral here. It is three-dimensional and have beds in a confined, sloppy space of spiral shape, which can be used to grow various herbs. According to the plan 2, at the time of filling the soil in your spiralherb garden, bear in mind that this should be ideally divided into the four zones, each of which fades into the next without the continuity to give adifferent environment to your plants. I recommend taking a trip to your local farmers market for seedlings. 8. Adds structure and interest. There are many types to grow and my preferred varieties are Arp, Hill Hardy, and Barbeque. 6. Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum'), 16. I imagine the back is north facing in the Northern Hemisphere and south facing in the Southern Hemisphere where the shadow would be cast from the height of the spiral. You dont need any special tools, talent, or know-how to build one in your own garden. In my garden it seems that every time I dig a hole I bring up a pile of stones and therefore theyre an inexpensive building material for projects like an herb spiral. The spiral shape is enlarged in contrast to the raised bed, the bed area has sufficient space to grow herbs and there are several zones with different soil characteristics and exposure to the sun. Borage has electric blue flowers, but it can become a gangly messy plant and it will self-seed profusely. I grow a variety of oreganos in my garden but my favorites are Greek and Syrian oregano which are have grey-green leaves that are delicious fresh or dried. As you learned above, I prefer a mix of half organic compost and half topsoil. You can use new or old bricks, and may luck into sourcing a pile of old bricks from a construction site. I highly recommend using Pinterest for this research step. An herb spiral is a raised garden bed that is both beautiful and functional. Purple sage is gorgeous any time of year, even winter. So be sure and harvest as much as you can use. For example, if youre trying to have it drain towards a pond. I'm passionate about your gardening success! Thank you so much for generously sharing your awesome tips! A herb spiral is basically a small herb garden. You can read a lot more about mulch, which Im a fanatic about, in this post: Why Mulch is the Ultimate Garden Tool. Plant the herb spiral in a way so that the tall plants will grow in the back. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Build a herb spiral in aspot that receives at least 5 hours of sunlight daily. Hi, do you recall about how much soil it took to fill the spiral after you finished it? I keep it mulched all year round. My herb spiral is a conversation piece! I did end up needing to go back for another small load to complete my spiral. Lavender Bee Balm (Monarda),3 to 5 Plants, 2. If the existing soil is particularly infertile, you may wish to dig down so that you can fill the area with a high quality triple mix or garden soil. There are four main steps to building a spiral garden: site prep, marking out the design, building the bed, and adding the soil. The garden design shown here contains 20 different herb plants. Next, there's the almost spiky needle-like foliage of the lavender plants and their straight, slender flower heads. I grow many types of basil in my garden (read more about that here) and recommend sticking to compact basils like Greek basil or Everleaf Genovese when planting in an herb spiral. You can buy triple-mix or garden soil, or take soil from another part of your property and mix it with compost or leaf mold. The wooden bed featured in the above photo from. Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. Flat-leaf or Italian Parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. This class is filmed in my front yard vegetable garden in southern Wisconsin so you can see firsthand how to grow, harvest, cook with, and preserve a bounty of fresh, organic herbs every season. After youre finished constructing your herb spiral it will be ready to plant! Find out how to get free plants and seeds for your garden in these 13 frugal gardening How to Build a Spiral Herb Garden | Spiral Garden Design, Plants 16 Corten Steel Landscaping Ideas for Garden Design, How to Make a Tree Stump Planter in 4 Steps, Edible Weed Purslane Benefits | How To Grow Purslane In Containers, Grow More Plants Indoors | 20 Best DIY Vertical Pallet Garden Ideas. Raise the row of layered stones and spiral up to a height of about 0.80 to 1 m. Always fill in the gaps with gravel or rubble. So focus on texture and foliage color to bring a sense of fullness to your herb garden design. This is also a project suited to a gardener who, like me, doesnt have professional construction skills. If you use annual herbs like parsley or basil youll have to purchase new plants each season. The leaves have a delicate licorice-like flavor and it adds a warm flavor to salad dressings as well as chicken, egg, and lamb dishes. The feathery foliage of the bronze fennel is a nice foil for the leathery leaves of the golden variegated sage and even the flat-leaf parsley. Also, will garlic work in the herb spiral, if so does it prefer sunny SW? The cilantro (coriander) is an annual plant that will self-seed a bit if you don't collect the seeds to use in the kitchen. Theres no reason you cant use hay or straw, I just like using a darker color mulch on this bed. Before you break ground on a spiral garden, take a look around your property to find the right site. You didnt mention if you used any weed barrier. It will eventually break down and smother the grass beneath the bed. In fact, after teaching my herb workshop throughout the winter to garden clubs and Master Gardener groups, where I show people how to build their own herb spiral, I often get a few emails in the spring from people whove taken on the project and built one themselves after being inspired by my class. If the garden is to be built on top of an existing lawn or if there are persistent weeds, either remove the turf first or lay down a layer of cardboard or a product like Sunbelt Weed Control. Its not meant to last all season long in the garden and so I sow a pinch of seed every couple of weeks from mid-spring through early autumn. sativus), 9 Mint. Before you lay the stones to make the wall, cover the excavation for thefuture pond with pond liner and around the spiral and its path with geotextile to prevent the weeds. Even though there is a formality, the focal point is a chance for you to show your gardening personality. This results in excellent drainage which is important for many types of herbs, particularly those that originate from the Mediterranean region. Loved the video and seeing your raised beds and herb spiral Megan. Keep reading to learn more about building and gardening in a spiral herb garden. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles. I deliver down-to-earth, actionable advice that helps you get the most out of your garden. You can use it as a search engine and type in herb spiral to see lots of different designs and materials people have used to build theirs. If its fall, simply mulch your spiral well to protect it over the winter and have fun dreaming about all of the fun things youre going to plant the following spring! Theres no right or wrong here, its all about how you want it to look. This will help support the design and prevent collapse of the stones or bricks. How to make tomato plants grow faster: 14 tips for an early harvest, Green bean leaves turning yellow: 7 possible causes and solutions, Growing Swiss chard: Tips for nurturing this ornamental, leafy green, When to harvest cucumbers for the best quality and flavor, Growing turnips: How to sow turnip seeds and enjoy the harvest, When to harvest radish: Tips for growing and picking. Working Tools: Spade, shovel, wheelbarrow, a stick, a rope and a measurement tape. Im more of a wing it kind of person, but if you like to calculate things ahead of time you can make an outline of your spiral with the steps below, measure the building blocks youre using, and then try to calculate how many you would need. Their solid mass collects heat from the sun during the day and then release it all night long. Keep fiddling with it until youre happy with how it looks. Formal herb gardenswith their symmetry, knots and interweaving texturescan look intimidating. I havent had any issue with weeds in my spiral. You can, of course, improvise any way that suits you. After your infrastructure is finished, its time to add soil. For more posts on growing herbs, be sure to check out the following articles: Are you thinking about an herb spiral for your garden? (And Id be happy to share!). Perhaps the easiest herb to grow, chives is a hardy, reliable perennial plant that thrives in sun or partial shade. Meadowsweet (26), veronica beccabunga (27), watercress (28). Once the bed is about two to three feet tall and filled with soil, youre done! There are many benefits to growing herbs in a spiral garden. The only herbs I plant by seed in my garden are cilantro and dill and I usually plant them in another garden bed since I like to grow large amount of of them. It can be made from a variety of materials like stone or wood, and offers different growing conditions within the same bed. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. It makes use of the complementary color combos of purple/yellow and blue/orange. Its just everywhere (zone 7). When starting each new course, count in 2 1/2 bricks and then start laying. The contrast of leaf textures should keep it attractive, even when not in bloom. Why? . This gives the herb garden its personality. The walls of herb spiral store solar heat and pass it at night back to the plant. Try to use a different variety from Herb Bed One: Echoing Bed Two, this herb bed features a contrast of purples, yellows, and orange. It really depends upon how much space you have and what fits with your overall garden design. I walk you through the step by step process and in no time youll be out in your garden constructing your own. Designing a formal herb garden is easy enough. They are generally more expensive than bricks and stones, but come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Compact. Variegated Golden Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Icterina'), 17. Plant it near the top of your herb spiral, making sure it receives plenty of direct light. Otherwise, they will create the shade for the growing below in the spiral. Herb spirals are popular in permaculture design and constructed from materials found on site. I have to mention a few things in this article WHAT? 7. You can also trim back dead parts of the herb plants in spring if you notice any. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Herb spiral has spirally upward walls that are made of natural stones or bricks. Plants The top to middle sections of a spiral garden is perfect for French tarragon. If you leave bare soil in your garden it will be susceptible to compaction, erosion and weed growth. Therefore, it is better to plant them in arecessed bucket without a bottom. Stones Whether irregular shaped or flat, stone adds a natural element to a spiral garden and is both strong and attractive. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), 5 to 7 Plants, 4. As mentioned earlier, the center of a formal herb garden is usually the focal point. Learn why growing herbs isSO easy and worth it! Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other national publications. Once youve established the spiral pattern on the site, begin to build the bed. I dont recommend filling the spiral with straight compost (been there, done that!) Because an herb spiral is elevated, it will shed water and keep those herbs happy and healthy. At the foot of the herb spiral you can even make a mini pond, which will retain the moisture in the lower area, or if you want, you can create a wetland where you can grow plants that love saturated soil. Youll start your second course at this point. Ive planted some mini versions of dill in my spiral. California. My herb spiral is 5 feet wide and 20 inches high. 100% with you on the mint. In the case of very large spirals, it could be difficult to collect herbs from the center without stepping on the bed so it is a good idea to lay the stones as footholds. At last, fill the spiral with soil and aged manure or compost. To actually build the spiral and move soil you may need the following tools: To plant the seeds and plants youll need: Trace the outline of your herb spiral on the ground using a stick or other sharp object.
circular herb garden plan