Patio pond to herb garden

[jellybabyjan]

Hi,

Newbie here
I have a small wooden patio pond. I've had enough trying to keep it going every year and have decided to empty it, fill it with compost and grow herbs instead. It's already lined. I just don't know where to start!
Do I fill it completely with compost, do I need drainage holes?
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Jan

[Primrose]

See you haven't yet had a reply.
Yes you will need a drainage holes in your container whixh you can cover with a oiece of slate or something similar to allow surplus water to drain away ) and should fill with compost leaving at least an inch space to the rim for watering and rain to accumulate before in drains into the compost.

Pick herbs you like. Mint probably needs a container on its own as it's a thug for spreading.and taking over everywhere!

Oregano, thyme, sage and parsley are all good -they prefer a dry ish compost in a sunny spot. Rosemary is nice to roast with lamb but may rapidly outgrow its space and soon suffocate the others.unless you prune it back. regularly. A clump of chives will be nice for snipping for garnishing omelettes etc.

Most herbs prefer a sunny spot and whilst many can survive water shortages regular drinks will improve their survival especially in drought conditions. If you like basil leave a spot for this althiugh this is an annual and you,ll need to sow some replace the clump every year.

Personally I would improve the compost by adding a few chicken manure pellets if you have any as the herbs could be in situ for several years and this will get them off to a good start.

Give the soil a gentle dressing of fertiliser every spring when growth starts up again. Guide luck !

[Westi]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry I never saw this Jan, the red dot did not show against this on my computer? Weird?

As Primrose says yes it will need drainage holes so just puncture the liner here & there & as it was a pond & presumably waterproof you will need to also make some holes in the actual wood at the bottom. You don't mention the size of the pond, but I would put some rocks in the bottom to prevent the compost compacting at the bottom & blocking the holes you have made.

I saw something on some site where the herbs were left in pots & planted in these so pot edge just at soil level hidden by foliage, so end of season when spent or if misbehaving you can just switch with another pot. Made sense to me as it would also control the thuggish ones. My tip is avoid Russian tarragon go for the French; I got rid of my herb bed well over a decade ago & this & lemon balm pops up all over the plot.

[oldherbaceous]

I didn’t see this as a new post either, so a very warm welcome to the forum….
I think Primrose and Westi have just about covered most things but, if there is anymore advice we can give, please do ask…..and hopefully we will reply the same day next time….

[oldherbaceous]

I feel really bad about this, we try to encourage new members, then miss when Jan asked a question…..I notice Jan hasn’t been back on the forum since the 7th!….

[Stravaig]

The previous owners of our house had a sort of fish pond in the back garden. It was like a cut-off of a barrel filled with water and dead fish.

I didn't want it. I put on rubber gloves and scooped out all the cr@p, then I filled it with compost/soil out of a bag from the local DIY store. Then I planted herbs. I'm afraid I didn't do anything about drainage but it all worked out OK.

I guess you don't have to be a chef to keep yourself, friends and family fed. And you don't have to be a pro gardener to grow some herbs. It probably does help if you have some clue about what you're doing. But mostly we can all manage by muddling through.

[Westi]

We will have to be more vigilant but I honestly did not see a tick or a red dot against this topic so didn't open it. I hope Jan revisits & forgives us. I wonder if many GYO forum members will gravitate to our site? I do hope so as it would be fun getting to know more growers & finding out what they are up to. Fortunately we are permitted to have our location on our profile which will allow new posters to home on to those in the same area. There is no area identified on the FB forums which means folk down south are being advised it is too early to plant or sow by growers from north Scotland & vice versa! That I think will be a great advantage to KG!

[Primrose]

Westi , I think you,re right about new growers finding location helpful. Seed packets never give any indication about location influencing growth success or failure and North vs South can make a huge difference.

The other poorly misunderstood influence is coastal areas where winds can be hugely destructive to growing efforts, even to experienced gardeners so sharing what works and doesn't work can be very helpful.

[Stravaig]

I have a friend who's a professional gardener in the very north of Scotland. (Caithness) He reckons his schedule is at least a month behind ours.