If space is at a premium, start off with the essential herbs, like parsley, mint, sage, rosemary and thyme, all of which are useful culinary herbs, writes FIONNUALA FALLON

DESPITE THE mixed weather, the OPW’s walled organic vegetable garden in the Phoenix Park is already lush and heavy with new growth – ruby chard, curly-leaved endives and the blood-red leaves of beetroot now fill the neatly hoed drills, alongside sturdy rows of onions, leeks and cabbages.

Young potato-shoots have stubbornly pushed their way through the soil, as have the delicate leaves of carrot and parsnip seedlings. Even the recently prepared herb beds are now brimful of plants, all of them raised from seed in the nearby glasshouse by OPW gardeners Meeda Downey, Brian Quinn and Declan Donohoe.

Spearmint, peppermint, tarragon, dill, marjoram, parsley and thyme – all of these are aromatic, edible, culinary (and often medicinal) herbs that have earned a spot at the walled garden this summer.

There are also many others, already planted in the garden since last year, such as purple-leaved sage, sweet-scented lemon balm, feathery-leaved fennel and decorative chives.

Less familiar herbs are also flourishing, such as the scarlet bee-balm, Monarda didyma, whose leaves smell deliciously of bergamot and are a natural source of the antiseptic thymol, an active ingredient in modern mouthwashes.

Or there’s the broad-leaved sorrel, Rumex acetosa, whose sharp-tasting leaves make an excellent spring soup.

The OPW gardeners are truly lucky to have the space, and lots of it, to plant such a wide variety. But even then, they found it hard to limit themselves. “We made a list, a very long list,” admits Brian. “And then we had to cut it by half,” finishes Meeda with a grin.

Just as for vegetables, good soil preparation is vital for the success of any herb patch – but with a few important differences. Many (but not all) herbs like a sunny, very well-drained soil that’s not too rich in organic material – so don’t add large amounts of manure.

At the Phoenix Park, Brian and Meeda have planted the young herbs in raised drills. “We also added lots and lots of coarse horticultural grit,” says Meeda. “Most herbs really hate winter wet, so this always helps with soil drainage around the roots.”

Inevitably, there are some important exceptions to this rule. All mints (and there are many different varieties, with leaves that can smell of bananas, ginger, grapefruit or even lavender) love a cool, damp, rich soil. Parsley also prefers a fertile soil and will grow in partial shade, as does chervil, sorrel, woodruff and the lofty lovage, whose crisp, celery-scented leaves are delicious when added to potato salad.

If you’re choosing plants for your own garden, allotment or window-box, and space is at a premium, start off with the essentials. Parsley, mint, sage, rosemary and thyme, for example, are all useful culinary herbs, as is the evergreen laurel or true bay, Laurus nobilis.

Whatever you do, however, don’t confuse this plant with the Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, which is highly poisonous and contains traces of cyanide. It was an Irish chef in Dublin, back in 1781, who was unlucky enough to discover quite how poisonous the plant is when he used its leaves as bitter-almond flavouring. (He died, of course.)

If you want more colour, then chives, borage, bergamot and hyssop all produce lovely, edible flowers. Consider others factors also, such as size and hardiness.

Low-growing thymes fit snugly into the smallest pot while the giants of the herb garden, such as dill, angelica and fennel, need loads of space. Others, like lemon grass, aloe-vera and basil, are frost-tender perennials or half-hardy annuals that will naturally die with the first hard frost.

Even during summertime, vulnerable plants like these prefer some protection from heavy rain and cool temperatures. At the Phoenix Park, the young basil plants won’t go out until June and will always have the welcome protection of large cloches throughout the summer, except on the sunniest of days.

“You could always improvise at home by cutting the bottom off a large transparent plastic bottle, like the type used in office water coolers,” says Brian. “Just remember that it does need to be big enough to allow the plant to bush out.”

Finally, think about providing shelter from cold or salty winds, which can scorch leaves and, in worst cases, even kill young plants.

Despite the fact that the OPW garden is enclosed by high brick walls, a surprisingly chilly breeze often whistles sharply through the garden. Luckily, the herbs have extra protection in the shape of beautiful willow panels that were handmade in Carlow by talented craftsman, Pat Quinlan.

Willow Structures

Using locally grown willow, salix viminalis, which he harvests himself during the winter months, Quinlan creates a range of organic garden structures, from woven panels to willow wigwams and low hurdles (the latter are particularly lovely used as decorative edging or to conceal ugly, concrete-block, retaining walls). “I’m not a basket-maker, although I learnt much from basket weavers both in Ireland and in England over the years. I describe what I do as a cross between craft and carpentry,” says Quinlan.

He made all the waist-high willow panels at the Phoenix Park to commission, as well as the giant wigwams that will soon be smothered in sweet pea (you could also easily grow runner beans or climbing French beans up them).

Garden structures like these are a great way of adding height and ornament to a vegetable and herb plot without being too formal, while also giving instant shelter in exposed sites – just remember to position them so they don’t block off light. While they won’t last forever, Quinlan says that they should theoretically last up to eight/10 years if regularly treated with a preservative like linseed oil (half that if left untreated).

Quinlan’s willow structures are available in a wide range of heights and sizes and from some good garden centres, while he also works to commission on individual projects. For more details on stockists and prices, contact him by phone on 087 2306338/059 9140245, or by post at Killeshin Road, Carlow.

Seeds

With a garden the size of the OPW’s walled space in the Phoenix Park (2.5 acres), it makes absolute sense for Brian, Meeda and Declan to grow such a wide variety of herbs from seed. In smaller gardens, you generally won’t need such large quantities for, while there are some herbs that you can never have enough off (like basil and coriander), most urban farmers won’t have the space for several dozen dill or fennel plants.

Consider seed or plant-swopping with other keen gardeners to spread costs and increase variety. Alternatively, it often makes more sense to buy young plants.

While many garden centres have extensive selections of herbs for sale, it’s generally hard to find organically-grown stock, and you’ll have to look further afield.

Peppermint Farm Garden (www.peppermintfarm.com), based in Bantry, Co Cork, is a certified-organic herb nursery with a wide range of herbs (and herb seeds) available by mail order. They’ll also have a stand at Bloom 2009, which is being held just next door to the Phoenix Park’s walled garden, from May 28th to June 1st.

Alternatively, Denise Dunne runs a charming, certified-organic herb nursery just outside Naul village in Co Dublin, where since 1994 she has been selling both her own hand-harvested seed collection (over 140 different varieties) as well as a range of more unusual herbs.

Dunne stresses the fact that her stock of seed and plants is representative of “herbs” in the older sense of the word. “As someone once said, a herb is simply a plant that is useful to man,” she says. “So while I sell many of the popular culinary herbs, such as basil, fennel and thyme, I also sell many other, lesser-known herbs that were once traditionally cultivated because of their medicinal qualities, or because they were aromatic or decorative.”

Dunne also specialises in designing herb gardens for both the private and public sector as well as offering a consultancy service to clients who wish to reach organic-certification. She recently helped the Green Party’s Trevor Sargent to convert his organic garden to certified-organic status.

“Trevor has been using organic methods for years and the main reason he wanted to convert to certified status was to give him a greater insight into what is involved,” says Denise. Her website is full of useful tips and advice on growing herbs, from ideal sowing times to preferred growing conditions, as well as some handy links to various organic organisations and suppliers. Check it out at www.theherbgarden.ie or contact her at info@theherbgarden.ie or 01 8413907/ 087 2758896 for more information.

Next week Urban Farmer in Property will focus on planting and growing brassicas

Fionnuala Fallon is a garden designer and writer