How to Set up an Outdoor Herb Garden

This could all be yours!

Anyone who does a significant amount of cooking knows the need for quality herbs. But they can cost a small fortune at the grocery store, and growing your own is surprisingly simple. With a little planning and preparation, you can have vibrant, fresh herbs right at your fingertips by setting up a dead-simple kitchen herb garden. I haven’t purchased herbs from the grocery store in years now, and my budget (and palate) thank me for it!

Location, Location, Location

Before you begin, you’ll need to pick the right spot for your herb garden. A location close to the house (and ideally the kitchen) would be perfect. It’s easier to nip away from the stove to pick a few fresh leaves of oregano that way. But you’ll want to be sure that your location gets full sun. If it’s too close to the house, it’s likely to be shaded part (or most) of the day.

I recommend raised beds to grow culinary herbs. My go-to beds come from Birdies Garden Products, which I’ll have available on my site (epicgardening.com) starting this month. They make harvesting easy and stop pets from trampling them. Use a high-quality, well-draining potting soil to plant in. Happy Frog from Fox Farm is one of my personal favorites, which you can find at most local nurseries and garden centers.

These metal raised beds from Australia are my absolute favorite—and Ive tested a lot.

Grow the Right Herbs

What herbs do you use the most? Those are the ones you should grow. Don’t feel that you have to grow certain herbs. If you don’t use marjoram in the kitchen…don’t include it in the garden. Opt instead for additional varieties of the herbs you use most.

My personal favorites include oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and sage. I use these in so many recipes because they’re incredibly versatile, so even if I’ve got a small herb garden, I’m maximizing my use of it.

If you love cooking Mexican food, you’ll probably need a ton of cilantro. Italian cooks might find themselves in need of huge quantities of basil. Think of what you cook most often, and how much of it you use. This will help you determine what to grow in your space.

Planting and Care Tips

So you’ve got your planting space prepared, and you’ve decided which plants to grow. What’s next?

Layout matters, especially when you’ve got a mixed group of herbs. Consider growing your tallest plants, such as cilantro or parsley, at the back of your bed. Plants that are slightly shorter, such as rosemary, can go in front of them. Low or creeping plants, like thyme or oregano, should be at the very front. Laying your herb garden out this way ensures your larger plants don’t block precious sunlight from your smaller ones.

Mints are wonderful in culinary use but they’re a nightmare in your herb garden. They can easily take over the space. I suggest keeping those in segregated pots, far away from your other plants.

Drip irrigation is perfect for herb gardens. I especially like using soaker hoses. Those keep the moisture off your plants’ foliage, preventing diseases like powdery mildew. They also prevent water waste, which is awesome in our drought-prone region.

Even if you don’t need them for cooking, trim your herbs often. This stimulates them to keep putting out new growth, and encourages a bushing habit. It also prevents them from invading the space of other nearby plants.

Spread mulch over the surface of the soil to prevent weeds from sprouting up in your herb beds. Mulching also keeps your soil evenly moist, ensuring your plants have plenty of water.

Most herbs don’t need much fertilizer. If you want to fertilize, use a slow-release organic fertilizer every couple of months.