I do very little to maintain the plants in my spiral, yet they are so prolific that very many harvests are required over the season. There is no ‘absolute’ right way to build an herb spiral, though Mollison’s recommended size and proportions do work almost magically for me. Permaculture co-found Bill Mollison formalized the design and construction of herb spirals, but it it was likely not his original idea. Harvesting chamomile flowers to dry for tea, southwest exposure, two months after planting Like all permaculture installations and systems, we mimic nature’s logic but we cannot match her accuracy or precision. While spirals in nature tend to follow the golden ratio, also knows as the Golden Ratio (Phi) or the Fibonacci Sequence in their rates of expansion, my herb spiral claims no such accuracy. Sacred geometry reflects the universe, its pure forms and the relationship between nature and man, the parts and the whole. From a bird’s eye view, an herb spiral looks very much like a snail or nautilus shell, shapes that are based on what is known as nature’s sacred geometry. If the circle were flat, the plantable area would be about 38.5 square feet, but because the winding 14″-18″ wide bed is linear, running up at an incline to the centre top of the circle in a spiral pattern, there is a gain not just in real estate area, but in opportunity. My spiral is about 7ft wide (2 metres) and 1 metre (3+ feet) tall. I planted surplus romaine and buttercrunch in my spiral, and it thrived. In a space crunch, there is no reason why dwarf tomatoes, lettuces, radishes, beets and other vegetables couldn’t be planted among the herbs. Its many microclimates allow me to grow native and exotic herbs fundamental to many ethnic cuisines, and all within a very small footprint. I think of my herb spiral as a one-stop culinary trip around the world. Herb spirals are beautiful, productive, righteous installations - popular in permaculture circles, but little known in mainstream garden design.

If I had huge aspirations but a small outdoor space, the one thing I would build to guarantee the biggest return on investment would be an herb spiral.

Spiral 2020