Herb Garden Plans: 5 Layouts for Beds, Containers & Small Spaces

Garden Plan Collection

This herb garden guide is part of our Garden Plan Collection, a free library of practical, beginner-friendly garden layouts designed to simplify gardening and build confidence. Each plan is flexible, proven, and easy to adapt to your climate and space.

What’s Included

• Five herb garden layout plans for raised beds, containers, and mixed-garden designs
• Culinary and perennial herb combinations
• Pollinator-friendly planting ideas
• Gardener-tested advice for long-term success

Herb Garden Design Layouts

Below are five herb garden plans you can use as‑is or adapt to suit your space. Many herbs tolerate frost surprisingly well, but they dislike wet, compacted soil. A sunny spot near the back door is ideal, though a balcony or terrace works just as well. You can use the Almanac Garden Planner to recreate or customize these designs.

1. Container Herb Garden Plan

Perfect for patios, balconies, and small yards

Some herbs like to roam—mint, for example, can overtake its neighbors. Containers keep enthusiastic growers in check and give you full control over soil, drainage, and sunlight. This simple plan is ideal for tight spaces. The example shown uses a four‑foot‑wide hexagonal planter, but you can easily recreate the layout with a group of pots or any containers you already have.

You can mix and match herbs based on what you cook with most. Leafy herbs such as basil, parsley, and cilantro thrive in richer soil with consistent moisture, while Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme prefer leaner, drier conditions. If you’re growing both types, use separate pots or divide the planter so each herb gets what it needs. Mint is best kept in its own container to prevent it from spreading.

Typical herbs include: basil, mint (contained), parsley, thyme, cilantro, chives.

Why this plan works: Containers let you fine‑tune soil and moisture, move plants to capture the best light, and keep vigorous herbs from overrunning the rest.

The Plant List

2. Herb Wheel Garden Plan

A classic circular layout that groups herbs by needs

This timeless design divides a circular bed into sections, making it easy to group herbs by water and soil preferences. The wheel is eight feet across and visually striking.

Each section of the wheel can contain whichever herbs you use most or want to plant. That said, many gardeners still grow members of the enthusiastic mint family in buckets or pots. Both lemon balm and mint can sucker, and if left to their own devices, they may overrun their allocated segments. Some gardeners don’t mind this—especially if they use these herbs often—but it can be a nuisance if left unattended.

Typical herbs include: Mediterranean herbs in drier sections, leafy herbs in slightly richer soil.

Why this plan works: The wheel design naturally accommodates different growing preferences in one cohesive bed.

The Plant List

3. Rectangular Checkerboard Herb Garden

A geometric herb garden with built‑in paver paths

This checkerboard design alternates stone pavers with herb‑planted squares, creating a tidy, geometric pattern that’s both beautiful and practical. The full bed is 18 feet by 4 feet, though you can easily shorten it to fit your space. Because each herb grows in its own square, this layout naturally limits spreading plants and keeps maintenance simple.

The pavers create clear access paths, making it easy to water, weed, and harvest without stepping on the soil. If you let the herbs flower, pollinators will flock to the garden. Planting a mix of annual and perennial herbs keeps the bed looking attractive through the seasons, even in winter frost.

You can plant each square with a single herb or repeat your favorites for a more unified look. Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and lavender thrive in the drier pockets between pavers, while leafy herbs like basil appreciate the slightly richer soil in their squares. Mint should still be contained — even in a checkerboard — so place it in buried pots or choose a corner square you can monitor.

Typical herbs include: Mint (contained), basil, thyme, sage, rosemary, fennel, lavender, bay, and borage.

Why this plan works: Separating herbs by squares helps control spreading plants and makes harvesting intuitive.

The Plant List

4. Small Herb Garden Layout (Herb Border)

A classic herb border that creates a pollinator‑friendly edge

If you don’t have room for a dedicated herb bed, edging an existing garden with herbs is a smart and space‑saving option. This border plan creates a natural pollinator pathway, especially if you let the herbs flower and leave them uncut through winter. Their stems and foliage provide shelter for beneficial insects such as ground beetles.

This layout works beautifully along a pathway, patio, or kitchen garden — or in a narrow side yard where space is limited. The bed is 15 feet by 4 feet, though you can easily shorten the length. We never recommend a width greater than 4 feet for any garden bed, as it’s important to avoid stepping on the soil.

Typical herbs include: Basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, chives, and oregano.

Why this plan works: Concentrating herbs in one border simplifies watering, harvesting, and maintenance while still producing generous yields. The flowering herbs also support pollinators and beneficial insects throughout the season.

The Plant List

5. Large Raised Bed Herb Garden Plan

A small herb farm for cooks, herbalists, and serious gardeners

For gardeners who become fully captivated by wonderful, tasty, healing herbs, this is the ultimate layout. The design features three raised beds, each measuring 10 × 4 feet, though you can adjust the size to fit your space. With room for both annual and perennial herbs, this garden supports long‑term growth, experimentation, and abundant harvests.

This truly functions as a small herb farm. It’s designed for someone deeply invested in both culinary and medicinal herbs — perhaps a cook who relies on fresh flavor, an herbalist who blends teas and tinctures, or a gardener who enjoys saving seed and growing specialty varieties. With 18 parsley plants, 12 basil and oregano, and a full suite of calming, healing, and pollinator‑friendly herbs, it’s a powerhouse of productivity.

Typical herbs include: basil (Genoese), parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, calendula, chamomile, echinacea, lavender, mint (contained), lemon balm, lovage, horseradish, and nasturtium.

Why this plan works: Multiple raised beds make it easy to group herbs by soil and water needs, establish long‑term perennial plantings, and rotate annuals for fresh harvests. The layout supports experimentation, seed saving, and true herb‑growing mastery.

The Plant List

The simulation shows three raised beds and four pots, but the real-life layout would stretch wider and deeper to accommodate high-volume herbs like parsley, mint, basil, and oregano; medicinal blooms like echinacea, calendula, chamomile, and lavender; large-root plants like horseradish and lovage; and wide-row herbs like lemon balm and sage

Tips on Growing Herbs Successfully

Many culinary herbs originate in the Mediterranean, where soils are lean, gritty, and fast‑draining. While herbs tolerate cold surprisingly well, they dislike wet, compacted soil.

For best results

• Prioritize drainage over fertility
• Add grit or sand to planting mixes where needed
• Avoid heavy fertilizing
• Use raised beds or containers to improve drainage

Two Types of Herb Soil Needs

One of the most common misconceptions about herb gardening is that all herbs prefer identical growing conditions. In reality, herb soil needs fall into two broad groups.

Mediterranean Herbs

Thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, lavender  
Prefer lean, gritty soil and drying between waterings. Too much fertility can reduce flavor.

Leafy & Soft‑Stem Herbs

Basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, dill, mint  
Prefer moderately fertile soil with consistent moisture.

Using separate beds or containers makes it easy to group herbs with similar needs.

Gardener Spotlight: Susie’s Experience

Susie, who created the hexagonal planter and herb wheel garden above, reminds us that herbs don’t need much space. She loves circular layouts for grouping herbs by light and water needs and notes that flowering herbs left uncut through winter become havens for beneficial insects.

“I find that you don’t need a large area to grow herbs—once you understand what they need, even a small container can be productive. I’ve even used an old wine crate or just a collection of containers.”

“I enjoy planting herbs in a wheel or circular shape, as you can think about what each herb needs based on how your garden slopes, and group herbs by light, water, and soil needs. Both lemon balm and the mints can sucker, and if left to their own devices, can overrun their allocated segments. I personally don’t mind this; I use both a lot. But if you’re going to leave the garden unattended at times, consider containers.

“Herbs are tougher than people think. Cold doesn’t usually bother them—wet soil does. Leaving flowering herbs uncut through winter turned the herb bed into a haven for beneficial insects!”

FAQs for Herb Garden Layouts

Q: Do herbs need full sun to grow well?

A: Most herbs grow best in full sun, which is defined as more than 6 hours per day.
Parsley, chives, mint, and cilantro also grow well in partial sun, which is 4 to 6 hours per day.

Q: Can I grow herbs in containers instead of a garden bed?

A: Yes. Herbs do very well in pots.
Just make sure the container has drainage holes so water can escape.

Q: What kind of soil is best for herbs?

A: Most culinary herbs like well‑draining soil, meaning it doesn’t stay wet, heavy, or waterlogged.
Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme, lavender) prefer drier, leaner soil.
Leafy herbs (basil, parsley, mint) tolerate richer, more moisture‑holding soil.

Q: How often should I water herbs?

A. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Herbs like steady moisture but not wet feet—they don’t want to sit in soggy soil. Basil needs more frequent watering. Rosemary and thyme prefer to dry out a bit between waterings.

Q: Should I harvest herbs often?

A: Yes. Regular harvesting keeps herbs full, leafy, and productive. Snip a little at a time, and the plant will grow back thicker.

Q. Do herbs survive winter?

A: Many do. Thyme, sage, oregano, chives, and mint are cold‑tolerant perennials.Basil, cilantro, and dill are annuals and die with frost. 

Leaving flowering stems uncut helps beneficial insects overwinter.

Wit & Wisdom

Herbs reward attention but forgive neglect—and few plants offer so much value in so little space.

“Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks.” –Charlemagne.

“A man may esteem himself happy when that which is in his food is also his medicine.” –Henry David Thoreau.

More Garden Plans to Explore

If you’re looking to try a different approach, check out these alternative garden plans:

• Vegetable Container Garden Plan — grow food almost anywhere with pots
• Square-Foot Garden — a compact, beginner‑friendly raised bed
• Pollinator Garden Plan — native flowers that support bees and butterflies
• Vegetable Garden — a simple 4 x 8 raised bed layout for new gardeners
• Foliage Garden Plan — for shady or partly shaded spots

More Herb References

• Free Planting Calendar
• Herb Grow Guides Library
• Grow an Herbal Tea Garden
• 7 More Fun Herb Ideas