Planning the herb garden

[kathy003]

So the last few years I have put some effort into getting a good herb garden together. Last year was a really good year for things like Thyme, Oregano, Sage, lemon balm and mint. 

 

I have tried and tried to grow Lavender every year and I am not sure why, but I can't get it to grow! It's extremely frustrating, but, I'm not one to give up (even sometimes when I should), so I am going to try again.

 

What do you grow in your herb garden and what, if anything, are your new additions?

[Cowgirl]

Lavender requires a somewhat alkaline soil (or “sweet” as some call it). My soil runs to the acidic side, and so anything I grow that likes alkaline soil requires that I lime the soil around the plant at least annually. Lavender also likes a well-drained soil, not a clay based soil. 

 

I grow lots of herbs and medicinal plants - some of my favorites:

 

Rosemary

thyme

oregano

sage

sweet basil

red basil

lemon balm

echinacea

dandelions

red clover

roses (hips)

elderberry

hawthorn

chives

[Ambergris]

I can't get lavender, lemon verbena, or thyme to grow.  They're all supposed to be easy, and yet I keep failing with them.  This year I even killed the elder cuttings I was trying to root, I have no idea how anyone manages to kill elder.

 

Right now I'm looking to place some herb beds or maybe container gardens.  I seem to do best with two or three kinds in a good-sized pot.  We eat so much lemon grass, though, that it usually gets a planter to itself.  Come Valentine's day, I plan to set out a lot of seedlings and see which ones survive.

[The WE2's]

6 minutes ago, Ambergris said:

herb beds or maybe container gardens.  I seem to do best with two or three kinds in a good-sized pot.

 

I have to put my lavender, thyme, aloe, and other spices in pots of their own.  I have a stand with rings around at intervals, and my pots sit inside the rings.  Then they sit just under the northern eve of the house where they get "some sun" and are protected from heavy rains and hot sun.  I have to hand water them, but that's okay with me. When it starts getting cold I bring them inside and let them sort of go dormant upstairs but near a window where they can get some light and I water them just to keep them moist.