The Herb Wheel
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Instructions
Unfold the fabric template and set it out in your garden. We suggest you lay it out at various points in your garden until you are satisfied that the placement is too your liking and it is within the site range defined on the design, i.e. North, south, east or west facing.
Either fix the template to the ground using pegs or strategically placed stones on the outer edges.
Using a half moon edger, cut into the turf along the outline of the template, ensuring you push the half moon edger into the ground to its full depth.
NB A spade could be used for this task but it tends to have a curved rather than straight cutting edge.
Lift off the template and set to one side.Use a garden spade to remove the turf from within the marked out area. Try to do this at an even depth and deep enough to remove the grass roots.
A turf spade does this job more quickly and efficiently than an ordinary garden spade.
Once the turf has been lifted, dig over the ground below to a minimum depth of 150mm (6 inches), breaking up any clods as you go. Manure, compost or a general-purpose fertilizer can be spread on the ground and incorporated at this stage.
Rake the new flowerbed over until you have a surface that resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Replace the template on the prepared ground and fix using pegs or stones.
Set out the plants on the template on the designated planting spots.
Using a sharp garden knife or scissors cut an X into the fabric at each planting point. The X should allow double the width of the pot size for easy digging and planting.
Fold back the flaps of each X to expose the earth beneath.
Dig out a planting hole for each plant according to its pot size. At this point, it is useful to have a bucket or wheelbarrow with you to put the soil that has been dug out.
Plant the plants re-using the soil you have dug out to firm them in. You will have soil left over, as the plant root ball will displace some of the soil taken out.
Bring back the flaps of the fabric to just beyond the stem of the plant.
Cover the fabric with bark chippings or gravel to a minimum depth of 50mm (2 inches). This may need topping up over the years.
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