Double digging improves drainage, exposes deeply embedded weeds and eases incorporation of compost
Continue in this way, replacing soil and turf in the last trench dug, until you have a trench left at the other end. Then add the turf and soil from the wheelbarrow.
Enriching the soil
Although herbs generally do well in poor soils, if your herbs are likely to be cut frequently for use it is well worth adding fertiliser or compost to ground that is earmarked for spring sowing and planting. Lightly fork it in and let the ground settle before you finally rake it to make a level surface.
Start a herb compost heap, so that by autumn you will be able to use your own homegrown organic matter to enrich the soil and improve its structure and drainage.
STARTING A COMPOST HEAP
Fence off an area 60 × 60cm (24 × 24in) in a sheltered part of the garden, using four posts and fine-mesh wire netting.
Construct it so that the front piece of netting can be opened like a door.
Dig out the topsoil of the enclosed area and keep it to one side. Line the base with twigs or branches to allow circulation of air underneath your heap.
During the year, add layers of disease-free garden and kitchen vegetable waste to the heap.
Build the heap up in layers about 15cm (6in) deep. Between each layer add a thin layer of the topsoil you removed from the base.
Cover the heap with a piece of old carpet to keep it dry, raise the temperature and increase the rate of decomposition.
Every few weeks, make several holes vertically through the heap using a strong stick. This aerates the mound and prevents any slushiness in the middle.
When the top of the fence is reached and the heap is full, start a second one. The compost from the first heap will be ready to use by the autumn, when you will begin preparing new beds or maintaining older parts of the herb garden.
CHOOSING PERMANENT FEATURES
Paths Important for many reasons, as discussed. It is also very pleasant to walk into the herb garden along an even path edged with fragrant flowers and aromatic foliage.
Seats Offer similar pleasures. From a well-located bench you can enjoy the decorative shapes, as well as the delightful aromas and perfumes, of your flourishing herb plants.
Sundials and statues Might be considered unnecessary follies, but in a herb garden they provide fitting focal points and add height. Many herbs are low-growing, and a statue can lift your eye and create interest at a different level. Statues or large containers are particularly attractive when they mark the meeting of several paths. All-weather stone or terracotta urns can be used as permanent features to house tender herbs such as lemon verbena during the summer.
Arches and arbours Similar dual-purpose roles to play. They again lift your eye, and also offer support to climbing plants for the scented herb garden. Honeysuckle, jasmine and roses provide fragrant cover, but will need to be tied in to the support system.
SOWING SEED EARLY
Many herbs germinate quite easily, but some require special conditions to ensure a high success rate, and early sowing to give them the long growing season they need.
Parsley, perilla and basil all need warmth to germinate, and basil and perilla also need warmth as seedlings and for growing outdoors.
If you can provide a temperature of 18–23°C (65–75°F), basil and perilla will germinate in about a week. If you do not have the space and cannot provide them with constant heat before transplanting into the sunniest part of the garden in midsummer, there are two solutions. Sow basil and perilla later and you won’t have to give them house room for so long. Or, you can treat the basil seeds as a sprouting crop and make several sowings indoors on kitchen tissue. You must use seed that has not been treated with fungicide.
Place the tissue on a plate, wet it well, sow basil seed on the surface and enclose the plate and tissue in a loosely tied polythene bag.
After about a week the seeds will sprout and you can cut the stems and seedling leaves off to use in salads. Keep the tissue moist and the basil sprouts will keep you supplied for up to several weeks, depending on the quantity sown.
Parsley needs more warmth for germination. Provide temperatures of 21–27°C (70–80°F) and, once the seedlings have germinated, lower the temperature to 15–18°C (60–65°F) and grow on in a cool greenhouse.
Transplant when the seedlings are well established, but avoid handling and disturbing the roots, as the stress will cause the plants to flower and set seed prematurely.
COMPOST MATERIALS
Use leaves of annual weeds (before they flower and set seed)
Lawn clippings, wood ash and any soft-stemmed herbal material from the herb garden
Comfrey can be used as a special compost crop: cut it and add to the heap several times a year.
From the kitchen, use fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, tea leaves and coffee grounds.
THINGS TO DO
Sow seed
Indoors or greenhouse: basil, canary balm, cowslip, eucalyptus, evening primrose, French marigold, parsley, perilla, safflower, thyme, wild strawberry, woad
Outdoors: chervil (can also be sown into pots for kitchen use), German chamomile
