Grow herbs that thrive where you live.
Enter your zip code and get a year-round planting calendar tuned to your USDA zone and frost dates — plus a curated herb list for your climate, from Mediterranean classics to heat-loving Asian varieties.
Pick what you'll actually plant.
Tap any herb to remove it from your calendar. Your 12-month plan below updates instantly.
Match each herb to its sun zone.
Most culinary herbs need 6+ hours of direct sun, but a few will tolerate or even prefer afternoon shade. Group herbs by sun needs in your raised bed so watering and harvesting stay simple.
South side of the bed. The Mediterranean and tropical heat-lovers go here.
East side, or under taller herbs. Cool-season annuals and tender greens.
North side or under a porch. The few herbs that actively prefer it cool and dim.
A year in the herb garden.
Get seasonal reminders
One short email at the start of each season with the 5 most important tasks for your zone. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Seeds, ready to sow.
Curated for the herbs in your calendar above. Heirloom and organic varieties. Each pack contains enough seed for a 4×8 raised bed.
The Austin Starter Kit
Eight zone 8b–9 essentials: Thai basil, holy basil, lemongrass, Vietnamese coriander, shiso, garlic chives, cilantro, and dill.
A raised bed built for herbs.
Pick the spot
Six-plus hours of direct sun. South-facing is ideal. Avoid low spots that pool water — herbs hate wet feet.
Build the box
4×4 ft or 4×8 ft, at least 12 inches deep. Cedar or untreated pine. Skip pressure-treated lumber for anything edible.
Layer the fill
Cardboard on the bottom to smother grass. Then a lasagna of compost, topsoil, and coarse sand — herbs want lean, fast-draining soil, not rich vegetable-bed mix.
Zone the bed
Group by water needs. Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano) on the dry side; basils, mints, and Asian herbs where you can water more often.
Contain the spreaders
Mint, lemon balm, and garlic chives will take over. Plant them in sunken pots inside the bed, or give them their own container.
Mulch and water deeply
One inch of fine bark or pea gravel keeps soil cool and weeds down. Water deep and infrequent — train the roots to go down.