Tips for novice herb gardeners, and what is this?

[Solasum]

I am a clueless novice gardener, but proud possessor of a little city patio garden.

This plant is growing out of my newly planted pineapple sage. Can any one tell me if it is a weed?

Also, I am aiming towards a single big bed crammed with herbs. Any tips to make this a reality?

And would it be possible for camomile to grow between floor bricks? Gaps are currently filled with grass...

Many thanks!

I think it’s bryony. Rampant climber, generally considered a weed, has a huge tuberous root you’ll have to dig out.

Regarding your herb bed the answer is maybe. There are some herbs that like it hot and poor soil - rosemary, thyme, sage - and others that like it moister and richer, including parsley and chives. So if you make one lot happy you tend to make the other lot sad.

Camomile between bricks - yes you can given enough space, but you’lol have to get rid of the grass first obviously.

I thought that might be bind weed but the leaf is different.

Herbs can look glorious in the summer and meh in the winter, so take care to mix some evergreens like bay and rosemary with your parsley etc. I also think it’s worth growing unusual herbs like sweet Cecily and pineapple mint! Thyme is glorious in all its varieties as is sage. I used to make herb bundles for neighbours instead of Christmas cards - thyme and rosemary for the roasties, bay for the gravy. I left the bundles tied with ribbon in the wall outside the house with a happy Christmas label and they all went!

I love herbs

If you're going to plant lots of herbs together, don't put mint in there. It grows like crazy and completely takes over. I'm another novice and I had a bad experience with mint last year :-)

That is Briony. Get it out ASAP!

A single bed crammed with herbs. I'd make sure it had good drainage, eg gravel mixed in esp if on London Clay.

then I'd fill it with herbs. Lol.

Lavender, Sage and Rosemary at the back.
Thymes, salvias, lemon verbena, parsley etc in the middle.
Low growing thymes, camomile at the front.
Mints or lemon balm, stick to pots. These can go into spaces as things die back or down.
In the early summer, sow a block of basil and coriander for using in the summer.

Always have pots of herbs growing, so that if one herb dies in your display you can easily plant it in the space.

My top three herbs are:
Lemon Verbena
Honeydew Melon Sage
Garlic Chives

Chamomile can grow in bricks, also look at woolly thyme for this.

I’ve got a herb garden with 8” pots buried in the soil. That way they stay under control, and I can modify the soil and drainage if I need to.
Decide what you are going to use the herbs for, and which ones you want to grow, then find out what they like as growing conditions.

The plant looks like it could be a cuca-melon. It's a bit of a novelty plant but it does produce bite-sized cucumber type fruits. This is a picture of the one I grew this year.

I second the advice given by PPs re herbs. Be aware that sage and rosemary will grow into shrub-sized plants and mint will take over.

Briony duly pulled out, thank you!

@Incrediblysturdypyjamas I think I have started on the right lines then? See picture...

The soil is pretty dreadful, London clay but almost impossible to actually dig. Gets a few hours of sun, but not huge amounts. I was considering getting some extra bags of soil to put on top, would this be worthwhile?

These herbs have been in a couple of months now. I chose them as they are supposedly good for poor soil. Do I need to plant more things in the gaps, or should I just leave it to grow?

Will investigate woolly thyme, thank you.

I’d be thrilled if someone gave me a herb bundle.

London Clay is pretty much the opposite of what you would call 'poor soil'. Poor soil refers to sandy soils that are fast draining and relatively low on nutrients. London clay does not drain well and is high in nutrients. It doesn't mean that it is good soil though as it hardens like a rock!

Plants such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, majorum - the Mediterranean herbs- will struggle. You could either get some top soil or dig in a few bags of sand, which is what I have done to grow lavender in my london clay garden.

There was also sage in my Christmas bundles for stuffing. Fancy forgetting that one.

Have fun with your garden!