4 Patio Herb Garden Themes

If you would like to have a food garden but are not sure where to start or don’t have much room to work with, a patio herb garden might be a good first step. There are lots of options for herbs that grow well in containers and small spaces, and herbs generally require less care than other food plants. This makes them an appealing choice for busy people or folks who don’t think they have much of a green thumb. 

You can grow a variety of herbs for culinary, medicinal, or ritual purposes, or you can create a themed herb garden for specific purposes, such as a cocktail herb garden, herbal tea garden, pasta sauce herb garden, or space clearing herb garden. 

Here are some examples: 

Cocktail or Mocktail Herb Garden – Almost any edible herb can be used in some type of drink recipe, but if you would like to start a cocktail herb garden that allows you to harvest fresh herbs for cocktails and mocktails at your next party, some good options to start with are sage, basil, mint, and lavender. These herbs all grow well here and lend themselves well to an array of food and drink recipes. 

Herbal Tea Garden – Camellia sinensis (tea) takes too much space and too much time for most backyard gardeners to bother with, but you can grow herbs for herbal teas – more accurately called tisanes or herbal infusions – that you can harvest and enjoy for their medicinal properties or simply their taste. Herbs to consider for an herbal tea garden include mint, chamomile, lemon verbena, lemon balm, lavender, parsley, and coriander. Most of these herbs can also be used in culinary recipes, which makes this a versatile patio herb garden option. 

Pasta Sauce Herb Garden – If you love cooking Italian foods that include flavorful sauces, consider growing basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and oregano. 

Ritual Herb Garden – If your goal is to grow herbs for cultural, spiritual or ritual purposes, the best herbs for your garden will depend on the practice or ritual for which you are growing them. For example, if the purpose of your garden is to grow herbs for space clearing, smudging, or saining, you might consider growing juniper, elder, rosemary, lavender, mugwort, thyme, or sage. 

I feel pretty strongly that anyone who has the ability to grow at least a small amount of their own food should give it a try. Even if it is just a single pot on a kitchen windowsill, it can at least help us stay a bit more connected and mindful about our food, can help children learn where food comes from, and reminds us to appreciate the efforts of the farmworkers who make it possible for us to have food on our tables each day. 

Herbs are some of the easiest food plants to grow, so if you are looking for an easy way to start or expand your backyard garden, give a patio herb garden a try. 

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AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, and green living. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.