I have the medium vegtrug, which is the largest one they make but looking through their brochure, they actually make a vegtrug herb garden. In fact they make 2 (more later), this got me thinking. It’s time to explore growing herbs in vegtrug.
What Is Vegtrug?
This company that appears to have bases in the UK and the US, manufacture wooden planters to a high standard. They are easy to assemble and constructed of treated wood that is safe to grow food in. There are a number of different planters available but we’re going to concentrate on their herb garden.
There are 2 vegtrug herb gardens available, the herb garden and the slimline herb garden. The herb garden has 8 growing compartments and the slimline has 4. For more information on vegtrugs follow this link.
Herbs In Vegtrug
Once you’ve decided to purchase your herb garden, and assembled it, it’s time to consider exactly which herbs you’re going to grow in your vegtrug. I have a medium vegtrug and I added thyme and marjoram amongst my plants to attract pollinators to my garden. If you have a herb garden vegtrug, then you have either 4 or 8 compartments to plant up.
Which Herbs Grow Well Together
It’s best to grow herbs that prefer similar growing conditions so that caring for them is easy. As with all plants there are factors to consider when growing herbs, like, temperature, light, water etc… So let’s explore the possibilities.
Mediterranean Herbs In Vegtrug
Herbs that originate in the Mediterranean region are usually plants that enjoy warmth, sunlight, dryer growing conditions, and well draining soil. Herbs like:-
Thyme
There are many varieties of thyme and they are all worth growing in a Mediterranean herb garden. Allow thyme to flower and you will get visited by many beautiful pollinators including bees, hoverflies, and butterflies.
Sage
This is probably the easiest herb to grow, if you forget to water it, it’ll survive for the longest time. This is due to the leaf structure, they are covered in hair like filaments that absorb moisture from the air.
Rosemary
This is another aromatic herb that prefers drier conditions and infrequent watering. Sweet smelling, early flowering, and ever green, rosemary is a must have in a Mediterranean herb garden.
Oregano
Oregano and it’s cousin Marjoram are both great choices for adding to a planting of herbs in a vegtrug. Allow them to flower and benefit from many useful pollinators and predator insects, to keep pests in check.
Lavender
Not always considered as a herb, lavender is another aromatic Mediterranean arid loving plant. The best way to kill lavender is to over water it, so it’s an ideal addition to a herb garden. There are many varieties to choose from and all have their own delightful characteristics.
Calendula
This annual flower is very versatile and can be grown pretty much anywhere, but will make a bright addition to the herb garden. Regular dead heading will guarantee a long flowering season. Thrives in free draining soil and sunny conditions.
This pretty much concludes the Mediterranean herb choices, all of the above prefer free draining soil, which is allowed to dry out a bit between watering.
Other Herbs In Vegtrug
Generally, growing plants that like similar conditions are easier to maintain. So moving on from Mediterranean herbs, let’s look at other herbs to put in the vegtrug.
Parsley
There are 2 types of parsley, flat leaf and curly, both need similar growing conditions. Parsley is a biennial plant which means it takes 2 years to complete its growing cycle. Sow parsley in Spring and it will grow throughout the year and produce flowers the following Summer.
By allowing parsley to flower you will attract many beneficial insects to your garden.
Basil
This annual herb needs plenty of water to thrive and also benefits from regular pruning. Remove stalks at a leaf junction to encourage side shoots to develop. Allow some to flower to attract pollinators.
Chives
A herb no garden should be without, in my opinion, chives are a perennial plant that will come back year after year. Their purple flowers and stately green leaves make a colourful display in the herb garden. The flowers attract many beneficial insects and regular dead heading produces more flowers.
Try Garlic chives or as they are also known Chinese chives, as the name suggests the leaves have a strong garlic like flavour. Garlic chives also have white flowers so add a bit more colour to the herb bed.
Dill
This herb grows quite tall, and attracts many beneficial insects to the garden. Dill prefers full sun and plenty of water, but allow the soil to dry out between watering.
Mint
A versatile herb, mint is a very useful plant to grow. The problem with mint is how prolifically it grows. If unchecked, mint will completely take over the whole planter. I sunk pots of mint into my vegtrug, and by the end of the season the roots were out of the bottom of the pot.
It took me a couple of months to clear all of the mint out of my vegtrug.
Herb Choices In A Vegtrug
As I said at the beginning of this post, the vegtrug herb garden has either 4 or 8 compartments depending on the size you have ordered. As each compartment is separate, it is possible to grow both arid loving herbs and moisture loving herbs side by side. But remember that they require very different watering regimes.
This is just a short introduction to the types of herbs that can be grown in a vegtrug herb garden. For more information on herbs as companion plants follow this link. I hope you find this herbs in vegtrug guide helpful, what herbs are you growing? Let me know in the comments below.