Easy Herb Garden : Neat Solutions for Simple Gardening and Delicious Dishes

 I realized that when I go out to eat the simplest foods become extraordinary with the addition of fresh, aromatic herbs. Our local grocery stores do carry a fairly extensive array, but they are not cheap and I end up throwing away half of them because you can't buy a super small quantity. I had tried to grow a few varieties in pots, but, they would eventually shrivel up and die.

The perfect spot for a raised garden.

Fortunately I caught my husband at just the right moment... when I told him my idea of building a "small" raised bed herb garden, he enthusiastically agreed.  We did a bit of research (Google, of course), found a place in the yard that was not too shady , not too sunny (it gets hot down here in NC), and set off to my husbands favorite store, Lowes. Here are the directions that my husband, Jim, has contributed to this project:

Jim putting the first tier together.

 1. Purchase 8’ landscape timbers (Home Depot, Lowes, etc).  They are about 3.5” wide, and shaved flat at the top and the bottom making them about 3” tall.
2. You will need three 8’ timbers for each “level” high you make your garden.  Build one level at a time on a flat surface, with dimensions of 8’x4’.
3. To do this, cut 1 of the timbers in half, and make these the two 4’ ends.  Lay them in place and screw in corner braces to connect them.
4.  Place this first “level” on the ground where you want your garden to be located.
5. Build additional “levels” the same way, and stack each one on the level below.  Screw in flat braces to connect each level to the one below it and above it.
6. Three “levels” makes an herb garden that is 8’ long x 4’ wide x 9 inches high.
7. Fill your new herb garden with garden soil (Miracle Grow works great) and plant.

Completed raised bed with baby plants.

 

 We built and planted in the Spring and have been enjoying the fruits of our (his? ) labor all summer. I planted a variety or herbs.. some perennial, some annual; parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme :) as well as mint, basil, oregano, chives and fennel. I tried cilantro, but it was just too hot for it survive. We even found room for 2 tomato plants!