Herb Garden Disaster :(

I'm on clay soil so water can be quite a problem.

 

I agree about the prostrate form, grows really well for me and is less leggy than the more upright varieties. It’s said to be less hardy but I haven’t found that. It also roots as it trails along the ground so if you loose some due to freezing conditions, there is some growing to replace it. I love the way you can see whole hillsides covered in this in parts of Southern Europe.

 

Maybe just to take out that construction completely... Add fresh compost and grow on ground level. What's the reason to make raised bed? I think cemented constructions wouldn't be good anyway so close to edible plants. ( Ok, I'm not an expert of course).

 

Thanks Alisa,

That's a good idea, it would save me a lot of work. But the raised bed is in the middle of a lawn and grass is so invasive, it wouldn't be long before the herbs disappeared into grass I fear! It's also harder for slugs to get at the young plants if they are raised I have always thought, in the past I have ringed the bed around with copper tape. My problem is that I may be laid up for part of the year so I think any heavy work is going to have to wait until the following summer - but at least I can plan out at leisure.

 

Have now removed 2/3 of growth leaving the Oregano which I hope will keep on going - it supports tiny, brightly coloured moths during the summer. I also dug out the ants' nest - they are red ants - and deposited it elsewhere in the garden. They may not be harming the raised bed but they are doing it no favours either. Can't take on heavy work this year so this is a make-over. I will either seed the bed with bee-friendly wild flowers &/or reintroduce a couple of herbs, depends what's available.

Dug all round the perimeter to split any ground sheeting. Couldn't detect any lower down. Stuck a spike all over the patch down to a depth of 1 to 2 metres, so if there is anything down there, it is thoroughly perforated by now, and can drain.

The ornamental masonry is crumbling to sand, not good.

Found no root systems under the top soil, the earth was just being colonised by grasses, Herb Robert and other unidentified plants - none looked like herbs. Will top up this soil with garden centre soil before I plant out.

 

I made all my raised beds using decking. Cheap and easy although i suspect they will only last several years. I get 3 lengths of decking. I cut one of those in half and I use 4 wooden pegs, 1 at each corner to secure the 4 pieces of decking together with wood screws. They probably take about half an hour to knock together.

 

Thanks, do you mean this material please?

Decking | DIY at B&Q

Can't do any heavy clearance this year, the raised bed will have to limp along till next summer - unless circumstances change. I still intend to do something with wild flowers or herbs this year though.

 

Herb garden 4/5 cleared & seeded with wild flowers for the bees - fingers crossed something comes up. May sprinkle anti-slug nematodes to give the shoots a chance - no sign of slugs yet. I put in some old mint seed but I very much doubt it will do anything. The herbs will have to wait for next year, when I give the raised bed a make-over.

 

Update: the mint came up, not sure what else. Is that other one 'King Henry', if so I will remove it. Slugs already on the rampage despite two sessions of the slug nematodes. Hopefully the mint is tall enough now to withstand them. What is that other plant please? Thanks

 

Looks like youre cultivating a weed there.

Youre not the first. I was nurturing a seedling earlier this year which had leaves that started to look like nettle leaves. Yes - it was a nettle !

 

Fat Hen - thanks - I thought it was called Henry VIII! Will remove it. The trouble with a wildflower mix is that you don't know what to expect - by the time you have a raised bed full of plantain, sedge and grass it's too late! :D

 

Nope, at that point you dig them up and sell to fashionable restaurants for a ridiculous price. Foraged greens are very trendy! (Unfortunately some of the chefs don't really know what they are doing, Lily of the Valley- soup was offered in one restaurant before it was spotted by a customer and quickly withdrawn before anyone died. )

On a more on-topic note, if you buy a pot of Chives (on offer at Tesco), rip the clump in two or three and plant it up, it will be a handsome sight and flower in just some weeks. Undestructable, pretty, versatile in kitchen and will thrive in clay soil.

 

Loathe chives dug the ones out I originally planted several years ago, they are too whiffy for me :D Can't believe I got my mint back, will be savoring some with cooked peas soon Wonder what else will come up? The grass is a nuisance, muscles in everywhere! The oregano is flourishing, but I don't use it - it supports a mini colony of tiny 'butterfly moths' over the summer though - worth it for that. Lemon balm left the herb garden & is now colonising everywhere - the slugs seem to avoid it. Bits of fennel keep appearing here and there but - again - they deserted the herb garden. Nature is unpredictable