Detroit, Michigan, has proudly owned the moniker “The Motor City” for over 100 years. Thanks to local initiatives, it’s also known as a “Bee City,” with gardens supporting the bee population. Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada met with a local pollinator non-profit, Detroit Hives, to talk about their impact on the local bees before helping a couple fill their elevated garden bed.
Steps for Planting an Herb Garden in an Elevated Bed
Choose the Right Bed
Elevated garden beds offer a lot of benefits. Since they’re raised from the ground, they’re less susceptible to contamination. Also, the raised height makes them more comfortable on the gardener’s back.
According to This Old House Magazine, raised beds also warm up faster in the spring than ground-level beds, giving you a head start on the growing season — a real advantage for herbs that thrive in warmth. On sloped property, they offer level, easy-to-tend planting areas as well.
Think Drainage
Before filling an elevated planter, it’s important to ensure it can drain well. Installing lightweight drainage rock under the soil, as well as drainage holes (and even collection piping, if possible), ensures that roots won’t sit in moist soil too long, which can cause poor growth, low fruit yield, and root rot.
Skip the Gravel Myth: Contrary to popular belief, adding a layer of gravel to the bottom of a container doesn’t improve drainage — it actually raises the water table higher in the pot, closer to roots where it can do more damage. Instead, use a potting soil made with coarse materials, such as pine bark, and stir in several extra handfuls of perlite, which helps keep the soil light and airy.
Plant Selection
When planting an elevated garden, it’s important to choose the right plants. It’s a good idea to go with a mix of your dietary staples (typically basil, oregano, and other herbs) as well as some exciting new herbs you haven’t tried (lemongrass, for instance). Our garden bed consisted of Anaheim chilli, Elegance pink lavender, Sweet Romance lavender, bush basil, Blue Spice Basil, lettuce leaf basil, amethyst basil, lemongrass, and okra.
Make sure to add some pollinator attractors as well. Plants like zinnias, nasturtiums, and pentas are great options for drawing bees and butterflies into the herb garden.
Nasturtiums are an especially smart addition to an elevated herb garden because they serve double duty: they attract pollinators and they’re edible. Before planting nasturtium seeds, soak them in a cup of water first — this helps the seeds swell, making them easier to germinate when you sow them directly into the soil.
Use Proper Soil
Raised beds are perfect for filling with high-quality, organic raised bed soil. This will ensure your food is safe to eat and that the plants are getting the proper nutrients and drains at the correct rate to keep plants healthy. Also, fill the container to an inch below the top. This allows the bed to drain rather than spill over if there’s heavy rain.
Soil Recipe: To start your raised bed off right, mix equal parts compost with peat moss (or coconut coir) and vermiculite (or perlite). Alternatively, blend compost 50-50 with topsoil or bagged garden soil. If you want an organic bed from the start, buy bagged soils and compost that are OMRI-Listed — they’ve been certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute.
Position the Plants Wisely
When planting several herbs in an elevated garden, you should choose spots based on their height. Larger plants can go in the middle, as there is less concern about sunlight or reaching them for harvest. Smaller plants should be planted toward the sides of the bed so they’re sure to get plenty of sunlight.
Orientation Tip: For optimal sun exposure, face one long side of the bed to the south and place your tallest herbs on the bed’s north side so they won’t shade the smaller plants. A bed width of about four feet is considered ideal, allowing you to comfortably reach the center from either of the long sides.
Water and Compost
After everything is planted, make sure to give the garden bed a good drink of water and keep it from drying out. In the winter, clear out the bed, add compost on top, and mix it in in the springtime before planting again.
Resources
Jenn delves into the world of beekeeping with a Detroit-based nonprofit, Detroit Hives that manages multiple beehives across the city.
Elevated planter box and plants provided by Featherstone Garden.
Jenn recommends raised garden beds for edible gardens. A raised bed allows you to add high-quality soil tailored for specific plants. They also improve drainage which elevates the risk of root rot.
Plants used:
