I worked at a restaurant that had a tarragon vinaigrette on one of the salads and it’s my favorite vinaigrette ever. Heat up some mild vinegar (rice, white wine, apple cider would be good too), add a big handful of tarragon and let it infuse off the heat, let cool and strain, blend with a neutral oil plus shallot, garlic, fresh tarragon and other herbs if you’d like. You can add an egg to help thicken and emulsify or leave out for a thinner/vegan option. It’s great for salads, dipping veggies, drizzling over roasted veggies/meat/tofu, on sandwiches, etc. Can’t wait to see how this bed progresses through the season!
I love the idea of having the herbs right where you plan to cook. I have turned my brick planer t the backdoor into a little herb garden as well. As much as flowers were always so pretty I started the conversion last year and am adding more this year. I love how yours came out. I was really admiring the size. Mine isn't nearly as big but I agree if you can put it right where you're cooking you will use them more. Mine was too spread out around the garden just like you said. Look forward to more in the future.
Great video. It's great to learn not only how to do something, but why you do it (and the history behind it!). I love how relaxing your videos are and how much inspiration I get for my own garden and kitchen. Can't wait to see how you use the herbs in the future!
outch, so much moderatly good potting mix going to waste. I would have used that in the garden. lolz, my standards are pretty low. i just add a bunch of organic matter on top. i would have put the woodchips at the very bottom right next to the branches.
They are Birdies Beds from Epic Gardening, I have a link in the description! This particular one is the Tall 8-in-1 Metal Raised Garden Bed and the color is Mist Green!
Looking awesome. Hugel also breaks down into humus which is amazing for soil. In the old days the poor used to have the worst of the land. So this is how they were able to tranform that crappy land into awesome fertile soil!
Jacque, this is the best video on filling a raised bed that I have seen, especially since you go into what you have plantef and how it will be used. Thank you!
Hi Jacques that herb garden looks great. That must be so nice to have fresh ingredients for cooking. I wish I had space for that also in my yard. I can't wait for you next video! Your teaching style is so relaxing 👍👍👍
You can grow quite a few herbs just on your window sill or in pots just outside your door or along outdoor stairs. My mom used to have pots along the corridor outside our door and down the stairs when we had a tiny apartment a long time ago.
I love this video because it’s elementary. I have a fairly nice garden but it comes at the expense of CONSTANT obsessing over what is the exact right thing to do. So, this sort of video feeds my need for detail. Plus, you have really pleasant energy. Thank you.
Yes! On the door! I noticed that too. Plus, the house. I grew up in Pacific Beach and I’ve always loved that Spanish style house but I couldn’t manage to afford to purchase one. Jacque hit the jackpot!
Yes, why do they die? Where I live people have whole hedges of rosemary that survive -20 C degrees (4 F) in the winters while my rosemary that's planted close to a sunny wall of a warm part of the house dies after a few cold nights. So disappointing. I planted a new one this spring and I will cover it during the winters until it's big and strong. (If Putin will allow us to live for more winters. Sorry to bring it up, but recent events here in continental Europe make me not take anything for granted. NOT looking for political discussion.)
Nothing beats a well placed herb garden! It will definitely be fun to see how it affects your recipe creation especially for the quick off the cuff meals.
Wow. Just finished the vid. Great info and I totally agree: Proximity to grill *and* kitchen are crucial! I'm getting ready to refresh my (potted) herb garden, and you've given me inspiration for what to plant this season (Mine are mostly Annuals that re-seed themselves!).
Timely video 💖 I ordered my 3rd Birdies bed just to plant herbs. You took away all my stress on how to plant it. One is full of garlic and one is asparagus and strawberries
Great herb bed! I like the way it acts as sort of divider between your patio space and your garden; also, being next to your picnic table the height puts the herbs right at nose level so one can enjoy the wonderful scents coming off the herbs. I think textures and scents are important in the garden. I am always touching and smelling plants in my garden.
Jacques I share your absolute love for lemon thyme. I was able to purchase a plant at a local nursery in the past, but since then haven’t been able to find it in the nurseries in my area, nor can I seem to find seed for it online. Does anyone know of a lemon thyme seed seller? 💛🌱
I just put on a 6in1 and used the old wood bed inside the new birdies. Great idea to put the herbs near the kitchen door. Can you grow lemon balm? It is amazing lemon smell and taste. It's slightly invasive but makes great mojito and tea too.
Thank you for taking us along! For the last few years I've been gardening I've been paying more attention to how I garden, and realized the same thing that you did, that I was much more likely to use my herbs fresh if I grew them on my porch, where I could just pop outside and snip them, instead of having to get shoes on and go out to one of the gardens. So while I will still grow a lot of my herbs in the big gardens (to grow huge amounts of basil for pesto, for instance, or others for dehydrating), I also want a smaller version on my porch for cooking. I've kept flat leaf parsley and rosemary plants growing over two winters outside on my porch here in middle Georgia, and they are still growing strong, simply because I pick from them semi-regularly.
I didn't do a raised bed, but I did plant my herbs Ina very convenient place. I did one strip right along the path into the house. I figured that will help inspire you as soon as you come home. However, I also planted a second bed just outside the back door. That is just off from the kitchen and beside the grill.
New Subscriber! You have a beautiful garden. My family and I have also recently started a backyard garden! Less than 2 years in our new home and we've completely transformed the backyard into a beautiful space. We are beginner gardeners, growing and learning along the way. Recently I started a gardening channel to help encourage others to start growing as well. No time better than now to learn self sufficiency. 💚🌱
Hi brilliant video thank you. I have never grown any herbs before. Is there any herbs that I shouldn't plant in restricted very small spaces please, in case they take over? Do most herbs like full sun or shade please? Thanks Natalie
One of the primary ones to watch out for is mint as it can spread and creep through your whole garden. Somethings like rosemary or sage can be perennial meaning it can grow for years so small containers can be restricting.
Jacques! This has been, by far!, The most informational video I’ve watched since going down the horticulture / permaculture rabbit hole. I appreciate your logical & scientific approaches to gardening. Thank you & the Epic Gardening team for all you do.
Great video!! You've inspired me to build a similar bed right outside my back door. I was curious about the Bulgarian honey garlic - I'm a fan of obscure edible alliums. Turns out it's also called Mediterranean Bells, and I planted about 25 of them in my ornamental beds just last fall. I have several getting ready to bloom, but the leaves are also edibles. I have some leaves drying to make a batch of honey garlic salt. I had no idea I planted this awesome edible! Thanks for raising my consciousness!
Wonderful to see that old is new again with heugelcultur. In the modern era we are used to regular trash collection, but it didn't exist for farmers a 100 years ago. Of course they didn't have the plastic waste we have now either. A number of gardeners are trying to make sure that plant materials don't leave their property unless diseased. We are trying to make use of branches and other debris like you are. Good job!
I have herbs in containers outside my front door, you are right, being convenient so you can step outside and get what you need and add the herbs into your meal quickly is wonderful. ...you wantit high enough that you don't have to bend over to gather the herbs.
I reckon it will settle quite a bit yet…my hugel bed certainly settled well over its first year. I hope the plants you,ve put in won’t mind if/when you need to top up the soil around their stems…jinxy
I suspect it will settle more but the thing I really like about raised beds is that its easy to just pull up the plants and reset them in more soil, perfect task for fall when things start to slow down.
I recently, Happily, bought a "Birdie Raised Bed". Still, I chuckle @ This descriptor of "A Raised Bed". I need a 'Birdie' now, as I've full spinal fail & can No longer get on the ground, bend, etc. However, 40 yrs ago, my 1/8 acre garden consisted of wide rows, with ~6"w x 7" h of rich, healthy, Mounded Soil. Just like my GranMum's gardens , These were considered "Raised Beds" (Multi Grins). My, then, 6 + 8 yr old daughters (now in their 40s) raised 6 rabbits in 4-H (while remaining vegitarians). The girls also sold buckets of rabbit 'droppings' for "fertilizer & composting" to neighbors. Also sold buckets (bring your own contianer) @our rural street corner. (They accrued more $ than all 'Lemondade Stands' .) The 'bunnies' lived in hutches @night (we live in 'Coyote land' @8k' in the Colo. Rockies) . During they day, they laid in the cool, earthen rows, rarely, Barley munchin' on a leaf or 2. (Will try to upload a photo. So stinkin Cute). The crew lived till 8-9, for their 'expected' 5 yr life span. They eventually moved indoors, becoming Nuzzle buddies w/our 2 cats & a Sweet 'Pittie" dog.. Ahhhh; Such Good memories.
I like using unfinished municipal compost in the bottom of my beds. I have a bunch of trees that we cut down but I don’t have the tall raised beds so I don’t need to add logs. One day I’ll be able to afford some tall birdies beds and I’ll be pumped. It’s time for me to build an herb bed. As soon as the rain stops I’m adding one. Your video has inspired me to finally do it, bc I’m tired of my herbs being in the middle of one of my 4x8 raised beds lol
Hi Jacques, you should grow some eau de cologne mint. That's my favorite of all the mints. I'll crush some leaves in my bath, put it in my drinks, but not a lot or rub it on my legs and arms to keep the mosquitoes at bay as needed. Happy gardening and may your herb garden be bountiful.
Love the videos, but you guys spend so much money. Herbs will grow in sand almost, that's a $1000 bed. U gotta find a way to make your own soil Jacque, it's the only way to garden for free
I planted parsley in a window box near my kitchen. Not far from there is my butterfly garden. Turns out that swallowtail caterpillars LOVE parsley! They didn’t touch the cilantro, oregano or tarragon, but they decimated the parsley. Because I love butterflies more than parsley, I let them have it! I grow it every year and end up with huge butterflies in late summer.
I bought myself two metal raised beds for my birthday in March, and just put them together and filled them right before the same rain, but we got more than you did. I had to put hardware cloth under mine to deter those dastardly gophers, and I put an inexpensive metal garden arbor anchored with re-bar in each one to give myself a structure to trellis with. We have an old sycamore tree and a liquid amber tree which gave me an abundance of leaves and seed pods to use as filler in the bottom, and I added the greens from pulling up my winter brassicas and root crops. Then soil from when I leveled the space, and some not quite finished compost that had been turned well, brought it up to where I added raised bed mix. After the rain I have a good 6 inches from the soil to the top of the bed, so I will finish that with compost and planting mix. I also ordered a Boogie water filter, and now need to take a serious look at drip irrigation. This is my busiest season at work, so doing this is what gets me through all those hours at the computer. Thanks for the video; it was inspiring!
Sounds like you have been putting in some serious work! It is fun to experiment with all these different things and I feel you on leaf and seed litter, the jacaranda definitely adds a whole beds worth every year.
@@jacquesinthegarden Yes, they are messy, but I love a Jacaranda in bloom on top, and covering the ground below with purple. I grew up in the Midwest raking leaves in the fall, so it doesn't seem like a chore, but a bit of normal.
Pure Leaf had a little bottle of Blackberry Sage Tea. It is really good and I don't usually like the packaged flavored teas, I like their raspberry but it has way too much sugar in it, so I dilute it with my tea.
This is a great video full of information about gardening AND cooking! Thanks! Try your tarragon on freshly steamed green beans-I think they’re perfect together
Love the video considering I have two tall dogs. I saw a black and brown dog hanging out in your backyard. Pls consider doing a video for dog parents and aspiring plant parents!
I've been going through a similar process with a very large Birdie bed. I've been filling it with almost anything from the yard and kitchen since November. The contents always settle more than I expect...it really never gets more than half full, lots of winter rain here to help with settling and composting. With planting season coming soon here in zone 8b, I'm going to fill it up with bag soils and compost soon, and get some plants in.
You did a beautiful job on the herb garden, with no stone left unturned. I love it!! Tarragon is so underrated, but it goes great with cranberries in chicken salad. It makes it out of this world delicious, and perfect for a spring or summer lunch.
عمل رااااائع وتفاصيل ونصائح مهمة جداا بارك الله جهودك انا من المولعين بالزراعة وقد وجدت في قناتك مااحتاج هل بالامكان وضع ترجمة باللغة العربية؟ فبعض المصطلحات تحتاج الى ترجمة
Where did you get clumping Lemon Grass? Tarragon on fish awesome. I will have a ENTIRE bed of PARSLEY Taboulie is so Refreshing. Better than salads to me. Lots of Chopped parsley mint lemon juice tomatoes couscous (soaked in lemon juice) had it in Israel and Jordan became addicted😂
What I don't understand is, I thought logs like that take upwards of 50-100 years to fully decompose? Isn't that to long to really do anything that beneficial to your crop? Want to try this technique but want to make sure they'll break down. TIA and love your videos
Nope.... The purpose is.... 1) Save on the amount of soil needed to get up to 30"..... since most plants only use the top 12". 2) The logs at like sponges that hold water. 3) Worms, bugs and microbes eat the logs and leave bio waste that is plant beneficial. 4) If roots want/need to go deep, they easily still can weaving around the logs. How's that?
Wood retaining moisture is a totaly myth for the wood you're using, IE all hard and dry. It won't work. You need very old and broken down wood for it to work. And burrying wood this deep, it won't be accessible to insects and mushrooms to break it down. I guarantee you that you can dig it out in 5 years, and it will still have retained its shape. The youtube channel Self Sufficient Me showed it, it was a bit more friable but that's it. It was still just a cylindrical piece of wood, wasn't doing anything. It's just big enough to fill your ginormous bed, but it won't feed the soil or retain moisture (I wish it did). So let's stop spreading the myth. In my urban garden, the previous president tried it, it was so much work, and it didn't do anything. You're better off chopping that wood and using the wood chips on the ground, as mulch. THEN it will get broken down by soil life, into humus, and THEN it will retain water, long term.
These were all the pieces of wood left that didn't fit into my chipper so they were left over material. In this case they serve to hold soil from spilling out, help fill the bed, and I still think they will create a habitat for insects that will break them down. It may not happen in the next few years but as it becomes more friable it is also able to soak up more water so I do think it can act as sponge in the base of the bed. I am also using fresh wood that was just cut the week before so it is already sort of moist not dried and cured. I agree that it may not happen very quickly but given that this bed will last well over a decade or two I am not too worried about rushing to the benefits. Also, like I said they were "waste" as I couldn't chip them anyway so this was a best use case. In the future I will temper the claims but putting an expected timeline on it.
$100 dollars worth of plants? I planted these 2 years ago from 10 dollar starts in 1 gallon pots. It just takes time if you don't want to spend upfront.
Use the holy basil (tulsi) for Thai cooking, especially stir fry recipes. You need to deadhead (seeds and flowers) to encourage more growth and larger leaves.
