Whether you are a professional chef, or just cook for your family at home, you know fresh herbs are always better for meal preparation. Cathy Isom gives you some detailed instruction about how to build a herb spiral in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
If you do a lot of cooking at home, then you already know what difference herbs can make to flavor a meal. However, if you live in cold climates where rosemary only grows well for a few months, or hot climates where cilantro starts to bolt and become coriander in April – then you also know that keeping a constant supply of your favorite herbs can be a challenge. Luckily, there’s an all-in-one herb growing solution that extends your growing season, increases your yields, and can save you tons of time on harvesting and care. It’s called a herb spiral.
Herb spirals are a great way to get growing in a hurry – even with no experience or tools! Most culinary herbs need at least 6 hours of sun, so pick a sun-shiny spot. And, select a location that has some wind protection for best results.
Just like building any raised bed, you’ll want to mow down whatever you’ve got growing in that area now. Then, cover the ground with either weed mat or a few layers of cardboard to suppress future growth. After that, you need to create the spiral shape. Next, you create walls so that your shape spirals up toward the center.
Once you have your walls in place, fill your spiral up with soil. Bagged potting soil is the easiest way to go. Adding a couple of inches of hardwood mulch will also help preserve water and protect roots while your plants are getting established. It also gives the whole project a more polished look until your herbs grow in and cover the bare soil. Give your plants time to set roots and start growing. Only then can you start harvesting.
I’m Cathy Isom…