Primer
Herb gardens come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as simple as a few pots in a sunny kitchen window, or as ornate as your imagination, energy and resources will allow.
The Best Laid Plans
Take a Year:
All the experts agree that you should not make any garden plans until you have live in your space for a full calendar year. Use this time to discover the sun, wind and natural traffic patterns. We are all so eager to get started, but taking the year can help avoid costly mistakes
Location :
In the gardening world, geography is divided into Zones. Why is this important? Not all plants are created equal. Each annual plant needs a fairly set amount of time from planting until harvest. Each perennial plant has a limit to the temperature range it will tolerate. Plants and seeds sold in Canada should list their "zone" range on the packaging. One of the reasons that I retired in the beautiful Annapolis Valley is that we are nestled in a cozy little pocket of Zone 6B. After gardening in northern Ontario and New Brunswick, that is just like a present for this gardener.
Lifestyle:
Gardeners are true romantics. Beautiful tranquil spaces are easy to imagine when we curl up with seed catalogues on a cold winter night. On that first sunny spring visit to the nurseries, we somehow forget about kids and dogs. We know that we have jobs, kids to ferry and hobbies of our own. That's why a garden plan is so important. A plan lets us nurture a space that we have time to maintain with the life that we really live.
Space:
We can usually be sensible about the amount of garden space that we have the time and energy for. Its harder sometimes to imagine the need to plan for the harvest. It take space to hang herbs up to dry. Root vegetables need a cool dark place to be stored. Freezer and/or shelf space is needed for vegetables and preserves. How much of each kind of seed should you plant? Suggested Reading includes a few of my favourite references for this, although you may need to haunt the second hand book stores to find some of the older ones.
Children's Gardens:
Children can learn a lot in a garden. It can be a great way to teach patience and responsibility. More importantly, it can be a great way to inspire wonder, curiosity and a real respect for this good earth. Projects can be as simple as fast growing radishes for little ones or a little corner for older kids to plan and tend themselves.
Safety:
Plants can be dangerous, especially for children and pets. Reputable seed catalogues and nurseries list this in the packaging. If you are unsure, ask your public health nurse and your vet. There are a lot of good lists online as well, although care must be taken not to view these lists as exclusive.
Go on Tour:
Look at the gardens and yards in your area. The plants you repeatedly see are the ones that will quite likely thrive for you. Not only will they be suited to your gardening zone, but there will be a resistance to pests and disease. Check your local gardening clubs for their spring sales as well. Not only will you be using locally grown rootstock that is suited to your microclimate, but the members are some of your best local gardening experts.
Simplicity:
Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective. Try planting only one type of flower or shrub. Plant one "showstopper" shrub or tree instead a motley crew. Plant for only one color of flower.
Casual Grace:
Formal gardens can be very labour intensive to maintain. If you lack the luxury of time to devote to pruning and trimming, try a less structured theme.
Go to the
Links page or scroll down to
Suggested_Reading for some of
my favourite planning resources. Bear in mind that some of the
books are thirty years old and might only be found in used
bookstores or marketplaces.
Suggested Reading, in no particular order but simply where they are on my bookshelves:
Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholemew, Rodale Press
A Garden For Life, Diana Beresford Kroeger, University of Michegan Press
The New Victory Garden, Bob Thomson, Little, Brown and Company
The Northern Gardener, Jennifer Bennett, Camden House Publishing
Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening - Low Maintenence Landscaping, Rodale Press
Natural Landscapes, Sally Roth, Rodale Press
Readers Digest Practical Guide to Home Landscaping, Reader's Digest
The Complete Garden Planner, Peter McHoy, Hermes House
The Harrowsmith Illustrated Book of Herbs, Patrick Lima, Camden House Publishing
The Medieval Garden, Sylvia Landsberg, University of Toronto Press
Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden, Johnson, McDiarmid and Turner, Hartley and Marks Publishing
Landscaping with Herbs, Nancy Ondra, Rodale Press
Pools, Ponds and Waterways, Dawn Tucker Grinstain, Viking Press
