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I haven't yet
finished planting all my herbs. Maybe you have. If not, I'll pass
along a few general guidelines that I recommend for those
unsure of what to plant where.
When you bring home
a flat of baby herbs, they may look puny and spindly. Do not
underestimate the growing power of these babies. When you lay out
your garden, try to place the perennials in a spot where you can
easily till around them, yet leave them undisturbed.
Find out the mature height of the plants, to help determine which
should be placed in the back, middle or up front - in the border of
the bed. Then, allow at least 12 to 18 inches around the annuals,
and 18 to 24 inches around the perennials. If you brought home any
mints, DO contain them. Plant them in an open ended bucket or large
pot so they don't invade your garden and crowd out the other plants.
Also, plant the tansy and lemon balm somewhere where it can spread
and sprawl. It will encroach on other plants.
You can - and
will, dig and move plants around for several years. But you have to
get started, so just make your best guess and put it in the
ground!!! Do label everything. You can purchase herb markers, or
make your own from pieces of slate and a paint pen, use wooden
spoons for culinary herbs, or even teacups or sea shells and paint
or indelible ink. A coat of spray polyurethane will make the markers
weatherproof.
Mulching the bed
should be done about 2 weeks after planting. This allows the soil to
warm up nicely and the plants to become established. Also, you
will want to wait for seeds you have planted to germinate and grow a
few inches before mulching. There are two reasons for a mulch: to
retain moisture and control weed growth.
Traditionally, mulch
is supposed to be a readily available material. For example, salt
marsh hay is commonly used around seaside areas, and pine straw is
used down south. Since different mulches have varying effects on
your garden soil, let's examine a few common mulches.
Wood chips are a
popular mulch here. Big chunks of wood are not preferable, as they
are slow to deteriorate. Wood also depletes the soil of nitrogen as
it decomposes. Most wood chip mulches look better around shrubs than
in the herb garden.
Peat moss has no
nutritive value. It decreases the pH of the soil. During a dry
spell, peat moss forms an impermeable dry crust that tends to repel
water, and is difficult to re-moisten. Peat moss is also difficult
to apply, it will blow into your eyes and nose if you don't moisten
it first. Despite these problems, I have used it successfully on
herb beds before. It's dark color and fine texture sets off the
plants.
One of the most
common questions at our Herb Fair and Plant Sale is regarding the
cocoa shell mulch that we sell and also use on our display gardens.
People are intrigued by the wonderful chocolate aroma of the cocoa
shells. They are a by-product of the manufacture of chocolate. This
makes a wonderful organic mulch which does not rob the soil of
nitrogen when it decomposes as bark mulch does. An added benefit to
the wonderful color, texture and aroma is that it releases the
nutrient Potassium too. Some naturalists claim that cats and rabbits
will stay away from the cocoa shell mulch.
Grass clippings,
straw, leaf mulch and pine needles are economical weed barriers,
(beware -pine needles can be slippery under-foot.)
All organic mulches
improve the soil structure as they decay . In damp areas, all
organic mulches can support the growth of different molds. If you
see a mold growing on top of your mulch, simply scoop the clump off
and compost it. Usually this happens after a long period of rain in
shady areas of the garden.
Choose a mulch that
works best for you and enjoy your garden!
Hope to see you at Salt Box
Gallery!
Herbally yours,
Marian
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