The New Herb garden, Row 7 at bottom of photo, Row 1 at top
With 7 rows, there are a lot of plants, so I will do the post in 2 parts, and each part will still be really long! Part 1 is here.
So, we start back at Row 4:
Row 4, bottom – top: arnica, lovage/nasturtium, heliotrope/baptista, yellow toothache plant, pennyroyal, peppermint, portulaca/balloonflower/daisy, Tulsi basil, echinacea paradoxa, winter savory/summer savory
I’ve used this yellow toothache several times for tooth pain. It can last up to 12 hours.
Peppermint bent on world domination. It has a double height edging all around the bed to contain it.
The echinacea paradoxa is a Zone 5 plant but it has survived 2 winters here so far. I need to tie it up off the ground. I use this for dehydrating for the chickens winter herb mix.
Center right, next to it is a volunteer balsam. Lower right side is Tulsi basil and lower right bottom is balloonflower. There’s a daisy between the echinacea and the balloonflower. Between the balloonflower and the Tulsi basil is portulaca.
*Row 5, bottom – top: ashwagandha, parsley/hyssop, plantain, Thai basil/basil, sage, lemon verbena, pineapple mint *
This ashwagandha is new this year. The flea beetles like it but other than that it is doing well.
This bed was half ruined by the septic work. The plants reflect the destroyed biology with poor health. They are very bug eaten and small. Behind them is another volunteer balsam. I dehydrate the plantain for the chickens in winter.
The Thai basil is very small but has been flowering well. This is also a new addition this year. Behind it is the Aroma basil, and on the right, the sage.
Row 6, bottom – top: space left for the ginger hoophouse, calendula, mullein/snapdragons, chives, hyssop/heliotrope, thyme
This is the Resina variety of calendula, in both yellow and orange. I plant a bit more orange than yellow for better color. It is used in a skin salve and as an attractant for the herbal mix for the chickens in winter. Behind it is the plantain and, on left, parsley.
I selected the hardiest thyme offered and started it from seed. This is mostly for culinary use. In the back left you can see the single surviving plant from 2019, and it’s nearly dead. Just behind it is hyssop. The hyssop is dehydrated for the chickens’ winter mix.
Row 7, bottom – top: echinacea purpurea, oregano, bunching onions, garlic chives, marjoram, parsley, yarrow
This echinacea was in Row 6 for the last 2½ years, until I had to move it into the Big garden. It is less than half the size of previous years. I use the flower petals and leaves for the chickens winter mix.
The area around Row 7 was totally destroyed in the septic work. It was badly compacted by the heavy equipment. I’m hoping with feeding, mulching and introducing plants, the biology will return and help restore the soil.
The oregano is also less than half the size it was previously. It seems to be doing better than the echinacea. This is both culinary and for the chickens mix, as an immune booster. There’s parsley on the left and garlic chives on the right. Behind it is a mullein and chives.
This yarrow was also moved into the Big garden and moved back this spring. It took it a long time to recover, but seems to be doing ok now. It also goes into the chickens winter mix. That’s marjoram on the right.
That’s the highlights of the New Herb garden at the end of July. Some things doing very well, and others just hanging on. But it is starting to recover from the construction, and hopefully the biology will return for soil health.