Herbs are ideal plants for a raised bed. The basic structure of a raised bed for herbs is the same as for a raised bed for vegetables. Only the last layer of substrate is adapted to the herbs.
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Layering of a herb raised bed
Raised beds always consist of different layers. This stratification arose for various reasons. This includes, for example, reducing the amount of soil required. At the same time, however, every raised bed is a compost heap in which the coarse organic material rots over the years and at some point the soil can also be removed.
Due to the different layers, the soil in the raised beds remains loose and permeable. Most herbs have exactly these requirements, because they do not like waterlogging and compacted soil. This also applies to kitchen herbs that are only cultivated once a year.
There are no strict guidelines when it comes to layering raised beds, but the materials should be sorted from rough to fine. The coarse material such as coarse branches or bushes form the basis and they rot over the years.
- 1st layer: coarse tree, hedge or shrub trimmings (up to a diameter of approx. 5 cm)
- 2nd layer: fine tree, hedge or shrub trimming
- 3rd layer: turned over sods, coarse weeded material
- 4th layer: lawn clippings, leaves, coarse compost
The fifth layer later varies depending on the herbs you want to plant there. There are kitchen herbs that definitely prefer nutrient-rich soil, while Mediterranean plants in particular need sandy and lean substrates.
location
Which aromatic plants you can plant in your bed depends on the location. The advantage of a herb raised bed is that it does not necessarily have to be in full sun. There are some herbs that also grow in the shade or partial shade. This allows you to use locations for the herb raised bed that are otherwise difficult to plant.
Schattenkräuter
Herbs for shady locations are for example
- wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
- Borretsch (Borago officinalis)
- Gartenkresse (Identification)
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
- Waldmeister (Galium odoratum)
- Winterportulak (Claytonia perfoliata)
You can also plant all of these herbs in a raised bed and thus make optimal use of a shady location. With the exception of borage and garden cress, all plants are perennial and require nutrient-rich and constantly moist soil, which is why the final layer should be nutrient-rich compost mixed with some leaf compost.
Nutritious and partially shaded
If you intend to grow culinary herbs that require nutrient-rich soil, then your final layer will be a mix of different organic materials.
Selection of organic materials:
- mature compost
- vegetable soil
- Improved garden soil with organic fertilizer (manure, horn shavings ) .
- raised bed soil
With the herbs that prefer nutrient-rich soil, there are no differences to the basic structure of normal raised beds for vegetables.
The following herbs are suitable for nutrient-rich substrates in sunny to partially shaded locations:
- Savory (Satureja hortensis)
- Estragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
- Kerbel (Anthriscus cerefolium)
- Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
- Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
- Arugula (Eruca sativa)
- Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Nutritious and sunny
There are also some kitchen herbs that prefer nutrient-rich soil, but also need a spot in full sun. Although those plants that can stand in partial shade also grow well in the sun, a partially shaded spot does not work very well for sun worshipers. The wrong location of the raised bed would often lead to a stunted growth of these plants or exactly the opposite, a horny growth, in which they stretch towards the light.
Selection of herbs for sunny locations and nutrient-rich soils:
- Basilikum (Ocimum basilicum)
- Dill (Anethum graveolens)
- Kamille (Matricaria chamomilla)
- Kümmel (Carum carvi)
- Majoran (Origanum majorana)
- Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
- Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora)
Lean and sunny
The combination of poor substrate and shady location does not occur. The reason for this is that rotting works very well in shady locations and a correspondingly large number of nutrients are therefore available. Herbs that prefer rather poor substrates usually do not develop very well in nutrient-rich soil, even in sunny locations. Above all, their content of valuable ingredients usually suffers from the excess of nutrients. This is also reflected, for example, in the fact that the over-fertilized herbs usually have a much poorer taste or smell.
Selection of aromatic herbs for sunny locations that prefer lean soil:
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
- Rosmarin (Salvia rosmarinus)
- Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Thymian (Thymus vulgaris)
For plants that need a poor substrate, mix garden soil with sand. The final layer should be at least 40 to 50 cm. For plants that prefer nutrient-rich soil, the layer can be a maximum of 30 cm thick. Until the plants have rooted, they have access to other nutrients from other layers that have since decomposed.
Convert raised vegetable bed
If you intend to convert a raised bed for vegetables into a raised bed for herbs, this can be easily implemented with proper planting in the first few years. It is important that you avoid plants that require a poor substrate for the first two to three years.
Plant mainly kitchen herbs that have a high nutrient requirement. As the raised bed sinks a little more every year, reduce the nutrient-rich organic matter you put in and replace it with sand. After around two to three years, the soil is not only loose and permeable, but also so emaciated that you can easily plant herbs that prefer nutrient-poor soil.
zones in raised beds
Raised beds are often several meters long and are usually planted with different herbs. If you cannot commit yourself to a lean or nutrient-rich raised bed of herbs, then divide your raised bed into several zones. Depending on the length, there are between two and three zones, which you fill with different nutrient-rich substrate.
When planting, orientate yourself on a herb spiral , where you also plant from nutrient-rich and moist to lean and dry. This can also save you time later when watering, because you only have to water the area with the herbs in the nutrient-rich area more often. Plants that like it lean and dry get by with the indirect moisture that is distributed in the soil.