photo by amberdc.
Want to grow a variety of herbs, but only have a small space for a garden? Stuart Robinson, one of our favourite Aussie gardeners, offers the Herb Spiral as a unique solution!
Basically, an herb spiral garden is an attractive and useful “permaculture” gardening method, a construction that winds its way up from its base, curling in to the centre as it goes up to about three feet in height.
The spiral structure means this herb garden has a small “footprint” in terms of garden space, but lots of room to plant a variety of herbs to please any gourmet cook-gardener. Easy to reach everything for picking and weeding, too.
Build your own herb spiral garden out of whatever materials are affordable and most available to you, whatever will best suit your landscape — Stuart has seen these interesting gardens made from PVC piping, clay tubing, and rocks and stones…
I think I sense a use for my old eavestrough piping, here!
Plant sun-loving herbs at the top of the structure, where the water drains away most efficiently, and those plants that prefer damp soil can go down at the base, where the water ends up! Which side of this semi-vertical garden you use for a certain plant can be determined by how much sun exposure it needs, because parts of the spiral will naturally offer more shelter and shade than others.
I hope so, too, Stuart – now the main challenge is just figuring out where to put it!
Thanks for the link Domestika. I hope you do get a chance to build one with your eavestrough piping and then demonstrate it here.