How to create an herb garden on a sailboat
If you’ve ever been a liveaboard or a long-term cruising sailor, you know why one might desire an herb garden on a sailboat; you have probably found yourself wanting for fresh herbs and produce in your galley. Some liveaboards and cruisers have managed to grow whole gardens aboard their boats to address this problem—but for the sake of simplicity, an herb garden might be a more approachable starting point. What better way to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, than to try out a green thumb on the water?
First, you’ll need to find somewhere to put your plants. One option is to move them around: store them below when underway and bring them topsides when docked or anchored. Pots that are low and wide can help prevent topples. If moving an array of potted herbs every day is too laborious, find somewhere inside the cabin near a window or porthole for them to stay put.
Creative repurposing of old containers and lines may be useful to create a hanging setup. Some sailor-gardeners suspend pots from the cabin top or use things such as cheap shoe organizers to grow a “wall” of plants. Wherever you put yours, ensure that they have ample sunlight and won’t tip over. Besides location, the rest of the normal plant care rules apply. Water appropriately and add compost or other nutrients to the soil. Just be extra sure the plants you bring aboard are pest-free!
For a starter herb garden, go for hardier herbs. Mint will grow in just about any condition, and fresh mint drastically improves an après-sail mojito. Basil, parsley, cilantro, thyme, and oregano are all relatively hardy and common culinary herbs that will liven up any dish. All of these herbs are also more tolerant of shade, so you’re less likely to find yourself sending dead plants overboard if you forget to bring them topside for a few days or if your cabin doesn’t receive as much light as you’d like.
Ultimately, growing herbs on a boat isn’t all too different from growing herbs in a house, besides the fact that the boat moves. Trial and error will be involved, but nothing beats that fresh, summery addition to your meal after a long day on the water.
by Kelsey Bonham
