Instructions: Build your own herb snail

For hobby gardeners who like to use their own herbs when cooking and a little space in the garden a herb snail, also known as a herb spiral or spice snail, is just the thing. Because it offers optimal conditions for the cultivation of many different herbs and is at the same time a real eye-catcher in the garden. A herbal spiral can be built from a wide variety of materials. Whether made of bricks, natural stone or impregnated wood - the choice of material can be made according to your own taste.

Short profile

• other names: herb spiral, spice snail
• three-dimensional bed for different herbs
• simulates different climate zones
• offers different site conditions
• needs full sun
• Combination of annual, biennial and perennial herbs

Zones of the herbal snail

A herb snail can be divided into four different zones, with the transitions between the individual areas running smoothly. This creates diverse site conditions for the individual plants. If you have a pond in your garden, it is best to place your herb spiral north of the bank of the pond. The water ensures a good microclimate (high humidity).

1. Dry Zone (Mediterranean Zone, Mediterranean Zone)

The plants get the most hours of sunshine at the top of the herb spiral. In addition, the water can drain well in the raised area. Sun-seeking Mediterranean herbs feel at home here.

• full sun
• Soil well drained (sandy)
• rather lean (low nutrients)
• pH value: neutral to slightly calcareous

2. normal zone

This zone is slightly humus rich and provides shade for the herbs for a few hours a day. The plants that grow here have a slightly higher nutrient requirement, so it makes sense to slightly enrich the soil with compost.

• semi-shady to sunny
• slightly humus rich soil
• good water permeability
• ideal for local herbs

3. Damp fresh zone

The further down the zones in the herb snail migrate, the wetter and more humic the soil becomes. Here, too, the plants are offered a semi-shady location.

• sunny to semi-shady
• soil permeable to water
• better water storage capacity than upper zones
• nutritious (humic)

4. water zone (wet zone)

Ideally, the herb spiral ends in a partially shaded area to the west or east (tip in the south). All plants that prefer moist, nutrient-rich soil find ideal site conditions here.

• semi-shady
• good water storage capacity in the soil
• humorous

Possible materials

A herb snail is best planted in a wind-protected open space in the garden. It has proven to be very practical if the herb spiral is as close as possible to the kitchen so that the distances (especially in bad weather) are not too far. A herb snail can be built from a wide variety of materials.

• Stone
• Wood
• plastic
• metal
• gabions

Herb spiral made of stones

A weather-resistant and stable variant is composed of stones. These store heat well and protect the sensitive roots from damage on cold days. A herb snail made of stones can easily be built by yourself. Materials needed:

• enough stones for the dry wall
• Gravel or crushed stone (for drainage)
• garden soil, compost, sand
• spade and shovel
• string and two sticks

building instructions

Once the right place in full sun has been found and all the materials have been obtained, the herb spiral can be set up. Most herbs require a lot of light and warmth. The system must not be too small, so that the plants have enough space to develop. Depending on the size of the garden, you should plan at least two to three square meters for a herb snail. The height then depends on the base area of ​​the herb snail. The larger the base, the higher the herb spiral can be built.

Step 1: Preparing the Floor

Very few people can draw circles freehand. It is therefore advisable to use a pair of compasses for the ground plan of the herb snail.

• String (Length: slightly more than the diameter of the herb snail)
• two sticks
• Tie string to the sticks
• put a stick in the middle of the later herb spiral
• tighten the cord
• draw a circle around the first stake with the other stick
• mark the center point
• Dig the soil about a spade deep

As the name suggests, the shape of the herb snail is based on the shape of a snail shell or spiral. The herb snail should later open to the south and have at least two turns.

2. Step: Create drainage

So that the water can later be easily drained from the herb snail, it is advisable to create a drainage system when setting it up. This consists of a layer of crushed stone or grit about ten centimeters high.

3. Step: build the wall

Now the first row of stones is laid. For reasons of stability, this should begin slightly below normal ground level. The lower row of stones consists of a spiral opening to the south and has two whorls. It is advisable to build a dry wall (without mortar). Such a wall looks much more natural and offers an additional drainage possibility. Stones that have relatively straight side surfaces are suitable for a dry wall. Very round shapes or small stones do not offer enough support. First of all, a part of the wall is built.

• Align oblong stones in the direction of the middle of the screw (ensures more stability)
• Pull stones up like stairs
• there should be enough space between the individual whorls for the plants
• leave out one stone in each row from the wet zone
• the wall remains flat on the outside
• towards the middle it increases
• in the middle is the highest point
• make absolutely sure that the wall does not tilt outwards
• The wall tends to tilt inwards a little

Step 4: Fill and continue building

If the inner part of the dry wall is about 50 centimeters high (knee high), the herb spiral should first be partially filled.

• Fill the inside with roughly 50 centimeters of coarse gravel
• flatten the layer of gravel towards the outside
• Do not fill in any gravel in the last half turn (wet zone).
• Continue building the wall step by step with stones and earth
• use mixtures of sand, soil and compost for the different zones
• Add at least 50% sand in the middle
• the proportion of sand decreases towards the bottom
• the proportion of compost and earth steadily increases towards the bottom

Before planting

Before planting the herbs, you should wait a little longer until the ground has settled. It is best to let a few rainy days pass. Alternatively, the herb snail can also be carefully sprayed with a garden hose or moistened with a lawn sprinkler. If necessary, soil must now be refilled.

Plant herb snails

The ideal time to plant a herb spiral is spring. Mediterranean herbs in particular are somewhat sensitive to frost if they are placed outdoors very late in the year. The herbs can be bought ready-made in pots or you can grow them yourself from seeds.

1. Mediterranean zone

In the middle (upper) area of ​​the herb snail, Mediterranean herbs with a high light requirement, which prefer to be a little drier, thrive:

• thyme
• sage
• rosemary
• provencal lavender
• marjoram
• hyssop
• curry herb
• savory

2. normal zone

All herbs that also thrive in normal garden soil can be planted here.

• lemon balm
• coriander
• chives
• tarragon
• mugwort
• borage
• chervil
• spice fennel
• arugula

3. Damp fresh zone

• basil
• Parsely
• chives
• wild garlic
• dill
• lovage

4. water zone

All herbs that prefer a little damper and shady have found an ideal location in this zone. These include:

• peppermint
• watercress
• wild garlic

These herbs don't go together

While some herbs complement each other quite well, such as chives and garlic herb, other combinations fare poorly. Do not match:

• parsley and chives or borage
• basil, marjoram and dill
• dill and sage
• cumin and fennel
• chervil and coriander

Conclusion

A herb spiral can be easily built from a wide variety of materials or bought ready-made from a hardware store. When planting a herb snail, it is always important to have a full sun location and good drainage. The soil contains less and less sand from top to bottom, but more compost and soil. A wide variety of herbs can be planted or sown in a herb snail. However, the location requirements and compatibility with the neighbors must always be taken into account.

Learn more about gardening landscaping