When planting a herb garden for the cook to use, the first rule is to create the garden as close as possible to the kitchen door, as herbs planted at the far end of the garden will be unlikely to get used much when it is raining! Bearing this in mind, the herb garden should also be located in a sunny position as the herbs will thrive best in full sun and the flavours of the herbs will at their best.
The herb garden could be a traditional garden with herbs growing in beds in theground, a raised bed garden, providing easy access to the plants or a container garden.(see Growing ‘Herbs in Containers’)
Whichever system is used, there must be access around the plants, so that they can be cut without damaging adjacent plants or damaging the soil structure around the plants. Compacted soil around the plants will restrict root development and lead to poor growth of the herbs. (also the cook gets their feet dirty!) One solution to this would be to place paving stones around or near each plant for people to step on when cutting the herbs. Brick or gravel paths can be woven around herb beds, or more formal designs can include regular paved areas and planting pockets between.
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