For some reason, permaculturists and organic gardeners are obsessed with “herb spirals.” I’m not sure why, considering it’s not at all like something you’d find in nature. But… there is something to it that gets in your head.
I’ve confessed before that herbs don’t flip my switches like tropical crops and growing staples, but I have a hard time not… building… an… herb… spiral.
Why is that? Is it the attractive shell shape? The excitement of stacking blocks that harkens back to some childhood trigger? Is it a hypnotic spiral? WHY DO I WANT TO BUILD ONE?
Look at these cats building an herb spiral:
Wow. Fun.
It’s almost nine o’ clock at night as I write this post and I want to go outside and build an herb spiral. HERB SPIRAL! (The music in the video also makes me want to try those things today’s kids call “drugs,” but I think I can resist that temptation.)
I’m not sure about packing the entire spiral with straw, then planting on top of it the same day. I once did that with a strawberry barrel and my strawberries sunk down into the holes over time until half of them disappeared. I’d let it settle for a bit or at least make sure I mixed in some heavier compost or soil with the straw.
Anyone out there tried building an herb spiral yet? Or maybe an herb fractal? An herb star?
Heck… the possibilities are endless.