How to Arrange Kitchen Herbs in a Container Garden

Basil and other herbs can be grouped in containers.

If you don’t have much space and want fresh herbs, you can grow them in containers. Containers can go outside the kitchen, a few convenient steps away, and you can move them inside when the weather turns cold. You can also group herbs for an attractive display.

Things You'll Need

• Several Containers (size and shape depends on your space)
• Dirt
• Watering Can
• A free afternoon

Instructions

1. Work with the shape and size of your containers, whether square, round or window box style.

2. Place large herbs in the back row of the container. These include rosemary, sage, basil, fennel, dill, tarragon, garlic chives and regular chives. You can center fennel in the back of one container and dill in the back of another.

3. Plant medium-sized herbs, including cilantro, parsley, globe basil, caraway, lavenders and Greek oregano, in the middle rows. Basil comes in shades of green and purple, as well as Genoese and Thai flavors, which can flank your fennel, with garlic chives on either side. Tarragon and garlic chives can flank your dill. If you are using window boxes, basil can be put in one on its own.

4. Reserve the front row of a rectangular container, or the sides of a round one, for thymes, creeping rosemary and creeping oregano.

5. Plant mints in separate pots, as they take over a pot quickly. Spearmint tends to be tall, as well as catnip, so these can serve as centerpieces. Lavender grows well with mints. Lemon balm is medium-height mint, as is peppermint, so these can circle the taller plants.

Tips & Warnings

• Rosemary can be a pretty centerpiece, just make sure that is is upright versus creeping plant and be patient with it, as this perennial lasts for years if bought inside for harsh winters.

• Parsley and caraway are biennial, living two seasons and blooming the second season only. Plan to replace them after two years. The annuals dill, basil, and cilantro may reseed themselves, but you may prefer fresh starts. Sage, rosemary, oregano, lavender and chives are perennials, so these will be the permanent spots for them, unless you transplant them.

• Do NOT place Rosemary and Sage next to each other, the Sage will most likely die. (I have never seen it live!)

References

• Gourmet Herbs; Beth Hanson
• Colorado State University Extension: Container Gardens
• Utah State University Extension: Herb Container Gardens

Resources

• Iowa State University Extension: Growing Herbs in Containers