How to Hang an Herb Garden
Whether grown for cooking, for aroma, or for beauty, a hanging herb garden can fit into any outdoor decor. Hanging containers filled with herbs can adorn a small apartment balcony or welcome visitors on a front porch. Hanging herb gardens have the flexibility of movement to find the best sun-drenched position, and can be moved indoors for the winter to prepare for the following spring. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hanging containers with drainage holes
- Potting soil
- Peat moss
- Vermiculite
- Limestone
- Liquid fertilizer
Instructions
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Choose herbs that thrive in soil that is well-drained and herbs that need to come inside for the winter for hanging containers. Herbs suitable for hanging containers include sage, chives, parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and bush basil. Mix several herbs together in one container if desired.
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Select any hanging container that has holes for water drainage. Fill container with a loose potting soil mixture formulated for growing vegetables in containers, since they are not heavy and will carry neither diseases nor weed seeds. Create your own mix of sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and limestone.
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Water herbs in hanging containers more frequently than the herbs planted outside in the garden, but do not over-water. Stop watering when water seeps out of the holes at the bottom of the container.
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Hang the herbs in a location that will get as much sun as possible. At least six hours of sunlight will help the herb develop a maximum level of the oils that give it its full flavor. Take advantage of having your herbs in hanging containers by moving them if you find they are not getting enough sun.
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Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer at half strength monthly. Do not over-fertilize the herbs; lush growth will diminish flavor since the herb will not have the time it needs to develop the oils that give it taste.
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Harvest the herbs in your hanging garden when the flower buds begin to appear. Leave at least 4 inches of shoots on annual herbs, and remove the top 1/3 of perennial herbs.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider grouping herbs in hanging containers by their uses. For instance, an Italian cooking container might include basil, oregano and parsley.
Hanging containers lead herbs to dry out more quickly. Consider adding a layer of compost to prevent drying, and check the soil daily to make sure it is moist.
