Setting Up a New Garden
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Jay Stone
Posted on: October 23, 2007

I am in the planning stages of trying to set up an herb garden. Do you have any suggestion on where would be the best place to get a design or specifically as a new gardener what to plant. I would like to establish it off the back patio so that it would be part of the landscapes, just outside my kitchen on the north side of the house. I have lots of room and a bare yard to work with.

The north side of the house is actually the worst place for an herb garden, since most herbs do best in full sun. The south side of the house would be best. However some herbs tolerate at least part shade and they could be planted as part of your patio edge garden. Perhaps you could plant the herbs as an edging of a path that leads from the patio to a brighter back part of the garden and then put the most shade tolerant plants closest to the patio and the most sun loving ones as far away from the house as possible.

The 12 herb collection Richters offers would be a good beginner’s herb garden. In the 2007 catalogue this is found on page 56. The collection comes with a suggested planting scheme, but you may have to modify it to account for your lack of southern exposure.

To find the sun requirements and height and spread of our plants go to our web-site www.richters.com , then in the "News&Info" section click on "Richters InfoCentre" and then on "Richters Herb Growing Infobase". Then type in the name of the plant you want to know more about.

Do make sure that your soil is well draining. In thick clay, be sure to add lots of sharp builder’s sand and in both clay or sand add compost for a healthy soil.

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