The New Herb Garden

When we lived in Michigan before moving here to Oklahoma, I was a good gardener. I planted seeds in the rich black dirt and they grew. I pulled weeds and harvested massive amounts of tomatoes and peppers and lettuce and beans and more. Then we moved to Oklahoma, where clay is king. Clay and rocks.

I've spent several years amending the soil here but it really isn't much better than it was when I started. I was hoping that at least herbs - many of which like poor, dry soils and hot temperatures - would thrive, but the few herbs that have survived the summer in my garden have never survived the winter.

So this year I have both my vegetable garden and my new container herb garden. The area in the vegetable garden where I was trying to grow herbs will be used for vegetables this year, giving me more space there.

So many things in gardening are out of our hands. Grasshoppers killed so much of my garden last year, and even some of our fruit trees. Drought and high temperatures are the norm here. This year we had a couple of very-late spring frosts. I can't control the weather, but growing in containers gives me more control of the "soil". Containers are easy to weed too. Fewer weeds will grow in the pots, and they are easy to pull out. I'm also hoping to thwart winter by bringing the containers of perennial herbs inside before the first frost.

And I want the herb garden to look nice too. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Remember this is only in the beginning stages, with seeds that haven't yet grown, so please imagine what it will be in a few weeks, instead of what it is now.

I made a small eight-foot-wide "patio" out of bricks, so that grass and weeds won't grow under the pots and have to be mowed. I was going to use wood chip mulch instead of bricks, but as soon as I shoveled the dirt, pulled out all the grass and roots and leveled it, Cracker remembered that he likes to dig in soft dirt to make a nice cool hole to nap in, so I changed my plans to include bricks. These bricks are from the floor of hubby's workshop in the barn; we rescued them after the barn fire and I think they look pretty neat with all the various colors. So much more interesting than just red bricks.

That wooden bear is nearly 25 years old and is showing its age, but like the bricks, it has character.

A shelf made from old lumber gives me room for more pots. It's been an excellent place to harden off seedlings.

There is room for expansion on either side in the future - and I do plan to expand. "Kitchen gardens" are supposed to be near the kitchen, so that you can step outside with a pair of scissors or a knife to cut a few sprigs of herbs you need to make dinner. This garden is much closer to the house than the regular garden.

The pots are seeded with several different basils, rosemary, lemon balm, lavender, chives, parsley, and more. Already growing in the other pots are chocolate mint, more lemon balm, more lavender. Still to be moved outside are aloe, catnip and oregano. In a few weeks I hope it will be filled in and beautiful as well as producing delicious additions to our food.


You might also enjoy:
The New Herb Garden
The Herb Garden in June
The Herb Garden in July
The Herb Garden in August
The Herb Garden in Late September
Ten Ways to Use Basil
How to Dry Homegrown Herbs

This post has been shared at some of my favorite blog hops.


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