Set up a herb garden on your balcony

Before you start filling a herb garden, you should think about what herbs you actually want to plant. There are a few things to watch out for depending on what time of the year it is.
For example, annuals such as borage or dill can be sown directly into a bed in April. Plants that are susceptible to frost, such as basil and savoury, should not be out in the open until mid-May. The same goes for perennials, which are best purchased as young plants in a garden centre and then planted in the bed. As a general rule, annuals and perennials should not be planted in the same bed.

By the way: If you’re looking to find out how to see herbs and plants that are susceptible to frost through the winter, take a look here here.

When it’s all ready to go, you can get started by filling the beds. Different layers ensure that the herbs have sufficient moisture and nutrients.

Your small herb bed must have a drainage system that works properly. That’s why you need to make sure that the bottom of the bed is lined with plastic film (image 1) and that the water that accumulates can be drained via a small piece of PVC pipe, which can easily be attached under the plastic film.

Lay a drainage mat or fleece mat over the hole as the first layer (image 2). This prevents the soil from washed away but still allows the water to drain.

A layer of wood chips is just as useful for the drainage system (image 3). You can buy wood chips in bags at your local DIY store.

It’s now time to place multiple layers of soil on top of the wood chips.
First, fill the box with some compost soil, as it’s rich in nutrients (image 1). You can, of course, buy this from a garden centre or you can use soil from your own compost. Everything you need to know about the elixir of the gardening world can be found here.

On top of that, place peat-free garden and raised bed soil. All the layers should mean the bed nearly reaches the top of the box (image 2).

Now for what should be the exciting part: Planting your herbs. In addition to the factors regarding the timeframe for planting the herbs that were mentioned above, there are other things to consider:

First, it is important to decide whether to place your herb garden on the balcony facing the sun or in the shade. Most herbs prefer being in a sunny area that is slightly shaded during the middle of the day. Among those that love the sun are oregano, rosemary, lavender, thyme, marjoram and sage.
Some herbs, however, do better with a little more shade, such as parsley, chervil, cress, mint and chives.

Make sure to arrange the plants in your herb bed by taking into account the different growth heights. Herbs that grow taller, such as dill and tarragon, should be arranged such that they don’t overshadow the smaller plants.

When planting, you should also make sure there is sufficient distance between the different species.

And pay attention to the right combination of individual herbs, too. Some plants get along very well together and even protect each other, such as parsley with dill and chives, or basil and rosemary. However, some combinations, such as lemon balm and basil, hinder each other’s growth. Camomile and peppermint also don’t get on well together.

You can find more tips on planting herb gardens in the kitchen, on the balcony or in the garden here. If you prefer something a little more exotic, such as pineapple, avocado or olives, we’ve got more information on planting those, too.

If you’re not only interested in planting herb beds, but also in a DIY project, you can easily build a small wooden herb garden like the one pictured in our images. It’s built so that it hangs over the balcony railing. The box shown here is custom fit to measure.

Use your own railings and the two diagrams at the top of the slider as a guide. Make sure to glue and screw every part together.
Make sure to check that everything is stable one final time before hanging it on your railings.

Is it not stable or you don’t have a suitable railing? A vertical garden for the wall is another version that saves space. The hanging herb garden is also easy to recreate.

And for those of you who already have an herb garden and are wondering what to do with the left over space, go ahead and get fancy with herb signs.

We hope you have lots of fun building and planting.