Food & Herb Garden
A 4×20 ft three-season herb garden with rotating veggie companions
Let's be honest: this is primarily an herb garden with seasonal vegetable companions. The star of the show is basil in summer, with oregano and thyme anchoring the strip year-round. Cool-season greens rotate in spring and fall. Don't expect a full vegetable farm — expect fresh herbs steps from your kitchen and enough salad greens to make it worthwhile.
Taller plants in the back (street side) stay below the sight-triangle height limit.
Month-by-Month Calendar
March
- •Sow radish seeds directly — harvest in 25 days
- •Start lettuce seeds (loose-leaf varieties)
- •Plant cilantro seeds
- •Check oregano and thyme — trim dead growth
April
- •Continue lettuce succession planting every 10–14 days
- •Harvest first radishes and resow
- •Late April: plant basil transplants after last frost (April 15–25)
- •Start hardening off bush bean seedlings
May
- •Lettuce starts to struggle in heat — harvest remaining
- •Basil takes center stage — pinch first flower buds
- •Direct sow bush beans after soil warms
- •Cilantro bolts — let it seed or pull it
June
- •PULL ALL LETTUCE — it will bolt and turn bitter
- •Weekly basil pinching to prevent flowering
- •Bush beans in full production
- •Water deeply 2×/week in hell strip heat (20–30°F hotter than normal beds)
July–August
- •Peak basil harvest — pinch weekly
- •Bush beans: pull spent plants
- •Mid-August: sow fall lettuce, spinach, and cilantro
- •Water consistently — driest months in Springfield
September
- •Fall greens coming in strong
- •Basil still producing — harvest heavily before frost
- •Sow more cilantro for fall
- •Bush beans: final harvest
October
- •First frost ~Oct 10–15: harvest ALL basil before it hits
- •Pull bean plants and summer annuals
- •Fall lettuce, spinach, cilantro still producing
- •Oregano and thyme settling in for winter
November–February
- •Oregano and thyme overwinter in place
- •Add 2 in mulch around perennial herbs
- •Plan next year's seed order
- •Late Feb: trim oregano and thyme to encourage spring growth
Plant List
Basil
The star of summer. Plant 3–4 plants after all frost danger (late April). Pinch flower buds weekly to keep leaves producing. One hard frost kills it — harvest everything before mid-October.
Oregano
Origanum vulgareOverwinters in Zone 6b. Forms a dense, spreading mat at strip edges. Cut back hard in early spring. Thrives in the heat and poor soil of a hell strip.
Thyme
Thymus vulgarisEvergreen perennial — stays in the ground year-round. Perfect low edge plant. Tolerates foot traffic, heat, and drought. Shear lightly after flowering.
Loose-leaf Lettuce
Spring crop: sow seeds March 15–April 15. Fall crop: sow August 15–September 15. BOLTS in June heat — pull it out when it sends up a flower stalk. Succession plant every 10–14 days for continuous harvest.
Radishes
The fastest food you can grow. Direct sow March 15 as soon as soil is workable. Great for kids and impatient gardeners. Pull and replace with basil when temps rise.
Cilantro
Spring planting: March–April. Fall planting: September. Bolts fast in summer heat — that's normal. Let it go to seed for free coriander, then replant in fall.
Bush Beans (optional summer)
Direct sow after last frost (late April). No staking needed. Successive plantings every 3 weeks. Pull spent plants and replace with fall greens in August.
Spinach
Fall crop only in Springfield — too hot for spring success in a hell strip. Sow September 1–15. Can handle light frost and may produce into November.
Maintenance Schedule
- 1
Weekly (summer): Pinch basil flowers, water deeply 2×/week, harvest greens
- 2
Every 10–14 days (spring/fall): Succession sow lettuce and radish seeds
- 3
Monthly: Check oregano and thyme for spreading — trim edges if needed
- 4
Seasonal transitions: Pull bolted/spent crops, sow the next rotation immediately
- 5
Late February: Cut back oregano and thyme to 3–4 inches to promote fresh growth
- 6
Year-round: Oregano and thyme stay in the ground — they're your permanent anchors
Springfield, MO Tips (Zone 6b)
- 1
Hell strips are 20–30°F hotter than normal garden beds due to pavement on both sides. Water deeply 2×/week in summer, early morning.
- 2
Springfield's last frost averages April 15, but in the Ozarks play it safe until April 20–25 for tender crops like basil.
- 3
First frost averages October 15 (conservative: October 1–10). Have your basil harvest plan ready by late September.
- 4
Ozark soil is rocky, shallow, and alkaline. Don't fight it — herbs actually prefer lean soil. Skip the rich compost.
- 5
Always call 811 before digging — it's the law in Missouri and it's free. Wait the required 3 business days.
- 6
Food gardens are best on residential streets. Avoid strips on busy arterials due to road salt and heavy metal accumulation.
- 7
Wash all produce before eating. Hell strips collect road runoff.
- 8
Leave a clear path for mail carriers. Keep plants 2 ft from utility access points.
Get Free Expert Help
The Master Gardeners of Greene County offer free gardening advice to Springfield residents. They can help you adapt this plan to your specific strip — soil type, sun exposure, nearby trees, road salt exposure, and more.
Contact Master Gardeners →Ready to Plant This?
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