Ideas from Garden in the Park. This fact sheet discusses the following topics: the bed, the design, shopping list, and useful tools.
The bed
Choose a well-drained, sunny spot. Enrich the soil with composted material. Keep it organic and chemical-free to safeguard those edibles.
The design
Look at plant height and width descriptions to determine placement. For example, you might place tall items at the back of a border along a wall, but you could center them or place "bouquets" of tall varieties in an island bed.
Shopping list
Perennials:
- Edible flowers: monarda, lavender, hyssop, roses
- Herbs: sage, thyme, oregano, tarragon, winter savory, chives, French sorrel
- Tender perennial: rosemary
- Invasive perennials: (grow in a pot) mint, lemon balm
Annuals:
buy plants or start from seed each year
- Herbs: basil, parsley, pineapple sage, lemon grass, cilantro, lemon verbena
- Edible flowers: nasturtium, pansy, calendula
Useful tools
- Lightweight snips to harvest sprigs and blooms
- Multi-blade herb scissors to cut fresh herbs for recipes
- Dehydrator to dry your favorites for winter use
- Mortar and pestle to release the flavors in those dried herbs
Useful references
- Growing Herbs
- Growing herbs in the home garden, growing herbs in pots, indoors
- Growing Herbs Indoors - How to Grow Herb Plants on your …
~Joan Kugler - Penn State Master Gardener
