Herbs, Herb Spirals, Herb Dryers

In Permaculture there's something called "herb spirals" - which is a way of growing herbs, typically in a part of the backyard near the kitchen, in mounds, held together with a gently upward spiral of rocks or stones, sometimes reinforced inside the mounds with sticks or stakes, or wine bottles.

Herb spirals provide additional space, the mounds acting a bit like planting berms. If you look at the footprint of either - i.e. the width or diameter of space taken up along the ground - and you think of how much you could plant in that area, but then see how much more you can plant by mounding soil up over that footprint, you start seeing how much more soil you have in that same spot, and how much more you can grow.

Herb spirals also allow us to plant herbs such that the herbs that like more sun can be on the south side of the spiral, and the herbs that like much less sun can be on the north side, and the herbs that like in-between sun can be to the east or west, and that can be related to a preference for morning sun or afternoon sun. A kind of mini ecosystem for growing herbs. And, with the spiral right there up to about waist height - easy pickin's for kitchen harvesting. Increased ease of access to fresh herbs just before or during cooking.

Herb dryers are typically wooden boxes with shelves, only the bottoms of the shelves are made of wire mesh screens, and the shelves are just high enough to rest the herbs. Moisture and air flow through these screens, and the herbs dry inside the herb dryers, instead of drying out.

Dried herbs are used in cooking a little differently from fresh herbs. If you have an herb spiral and an herb drier, you'll be cooking flavorful food for a long time to come.

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