What do you have to consider with regard to the location and orientation of a herb spiral? What is the correct way to create and plant herb snails? Which herbs are best to choose? Our planting plan for herb spirals.
Whether in the large garden or on the small balcony - herbs are a must for many gardeners. After all, they not only enrich our kitchen as spices, but are often particularly easy to grow. Herb spirals, also known as herb spirals, have become increasingly popular in recent years. The advantages here are obvious. The herb spiral is perfect for space-saving and species-appropriate cultivation of various herbs, because it can offer different microclimates and soil conditions for the different needs of the plants. In this way you can plant a particularly large number of different herbs in a small space in the herb spiral. In our article you can find out what you have to consider when planting a herb snail and which tricks you need to consider.
Create herb snail: location and orientation
Before you can plant them, you first have to choose the right location for the herb spiral. Both the herb spiral on the balcony and in the garden should be in a full sun location, as most herbs love warmth and need a lot of light to grow. The orientation of the herb spiral is also very important: The spiral should open to the south - this is the only way to offer all plants an optimal location.
Read our article for more site selection tips and how to create a herb spiral in just 10 minutes.
Herb snails in the garden
Herb spirals are the most common in the garden: no wonder, after all, the herb spiral needs enough space to house all the plants. A diameter of three meters and a height of about 80 centimeters has proven to be particularly suitable -here the various herbs have enough space, but at the same time the herb spiral can still be easily cared for.
Meanwhile, there are different ways to create a herb spiral: Ready-made kits made of plastic or metal are particularly popular, which only have to be set up on site and filled with substrate. With wooden herb snails, it is important to use a knobbed or wall protection sheet to prevent the wood from rotting. If you want to invest a little more time in your herb spiral in the garden, you can also build your own herb spiral out of stones. The dry wall, which is created as a spiral support, not only looks attractive, but also offers a shelter for beneficial insects such as wild bees or lizards. In addition, you can also create a small pond at the foot of the herb spiral, so that moisture-loving herbs also feel comfortable in the spiral. However, particular attention must be paid to the orientation of the herb spiral: the pond should always face south. It is also a good idea, similar to building a raised bed, to attach a grid under the herb spiral - this serves as protection against annoying voles.
Tip: If you create a stone herb spiral yourself, small stones must be joined together like bricks with concrete, otherwise the soil and plants will cause the wall to be pushed apart. In this case, however, leave generous gaps and maybe even fill them with some soil - this way beautiful rock garden plants can still be used and insects and reptiles can get between the stones.
Herb snails on the balcony
Herb spirals on the balcony are still rather rare today, but are enjoying growing popularity. Unfortunately, not every balcony is suitable for a herb snail: in addition to a sunny south-facing position, the balcony must be a certain size in order to provide enough space for the spiral. In addition, not every material is suitable for a herb spiral on the balcony: Above all, heavy materials such as natural stone and concrete should be avoided, as they quickly exhaust the load-bearing capacity of the balcony. Instead, we recommend herb spirals made of plastic for the balcony, as they are particularly light. A stable plastic plate is also preferable as a base, which is raised at the edges so that soil or water does not pollute the balcony.
Planting herb snails: How to do it
Isonce the herb spiral has been set up, the filling and planting can finally begin. However, there are a few things to consider: On the one hand, you need the right soil for the herb spiral, on the other hand, all herbs must be placed in the right place according to their location requirements. Here you can find out how to plant a herb spiral correctly and what you have to pay attention to.
The right soil for herb spirals
Since herbs are considered to be very easy to care for, many assume that a herb spiral can simply be filled with normal garden soil. However, this is not the case: Similar to planting a raised bed, the herb spiral is also divided into several layers. First, a drainage layer is created in the herbal spiral: For this purpose, a layer of gravel, expanded clay, crushed stone or broken bricks is filled into the spiral as drainage material, which should be about 50 centimeters high in the middle and within the turns of the spiral to 10 centimeters at the end of the spiral spiral should fall off. The rest of the bed is filled with a special herbal soil, for example with our Plantura organic herbal and seed soil. This is particularly suitable for the herb spiral because, in contrast to universal soil, it is less fertilized, so that herbs with low nutrient requirements also thrive in it. If you want to plant herbs with high nutrient requirements in the herb spiral, the soil can be supplied with fertilizer as required. In the area of the wet zone, i.e. at the foot of the spiral, some compost can also be mixed in. At the highest point of the spiral it is good to mix the earth with some sand or sandy garden soil.
Tip: Good things sometimes take time: You should wait a few days after filling and water the soil during this time, as it can still sag. If necessary, you can fill up the herb spiral with soil after this short waiting time if the substrate has sagged. Only then are the herbs used.
Which herbs are suitable for herb spirals?
The waiting time is over and finally the herb snail can be planted. But which herbs are actually suitable for the herb spiral? In fact, with a few exceptions, almost all herbs can be used for the herb spiral, as this offers different site conditions for the different needs of the plants. Mediterranean sun worshipers in particular grow in the dry and sunny area at the top in the middle. Herbswith moderate requirements, on the other hand, grow particularly well in semi-shady, middle areas. Moisture-loving herbs can also be planted in the herb spiral: they feel particularly comfortable in the foot area.
Tip: In our special articles - herbs for the shade, herbs for the semi-shade and herbs for the sun - you can find out more about which herbs are suitable for which location.
In fact, when planting an herb spiral, there are few herbs to avoid. These include plants that tend to grow particularly quickly and extensively, such as lovage (Levisticum officinale) and comfrey (Symphytum), or the one have particularly strong root growth and thereby endanger the stability of the dry stone wall. But herbs that are suitable for the herb spiral should also be planted with care. Because although almost all herbs feel comfortable in the herb snail, some types do not get along with each other. So that the herbs don't get in each other's way, you should be careful to plant herbs next to each other that do not hinder each other's growth, but at best even support each other's growth.
You need an overview of well-tolerated herbs? In our special article we have clearly tabulated which herbs go well together.
Example planting plan for herb spirals
Planting a herb spiral is often not easy, because you have to choose between numerous herbs. So that you don't lose track when making your selection, we have created a planting plan for your herb spiral that suggests possible planting combinations for the various climate zones.
In the uppermost zone, also known as the dry zone, the soil is rather dry and poor in nutrients, but the solar radiation is particularly high. Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), sage (Salvia officinalis) grow here ) or marjoram (Origanum majorana). But also feel lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) and mountain savory (Satureja montana). comfortable here.
An especially large number of fresh, aromatic herbs grow in the temperate zone with partially shaded lighting conditions. In addition to the classics chives (Alliumschoenoprasum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and mint (Mentha), lemon balm (Melissa) also thrive here ) and burnet (Sanguisorba minor).
Warning: Mint spreads via creeping rhizomes. To prevent the mint from spreading all over your herb spiral, you should therefore install a root barrier when you want to plant them.
In the lowest area, which borders directly on the garden pond, particularly moisture-loving herbs feel at home. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), dill (Anethum graveolens) and wild garlic (Allium ursinum) are preferred especially the slightly raised area in the herb spiral. Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and sweet flag (Acorus americanus), on the other hand, find ideal conditions on the very moist soil at the edge of the pond. The water chestnut (Trapa natans) can even thrive directly on water.
Not only herb snails are suitable for growing kitchen and aromatic herbs: In our article on raised beds, we will tell you how you can grow your herbs in a raised bed that is easy on your back.