Ideas on growing herbs

[MrsBlueEyzz]

I do have a patio door that I can use for a light source. A few years ago we grew some peppers (jalapeno, cayenne, and habanero) in long window pots although they were not in windows. When it was nice enough outside we put them outside to grow. It worked rather well. I think I will eventually transplant them to those pots. I will just need to get some fresh soil for those. I like the idea of planting them together.
Also I will certainly need to look into which are annual and which are not.
Perhaps next time I buy fresh herbs from the grocery store I will try using the clippings, Historic Foodie. That should be a fun experiment. It seems as though I will be using different methods (i.e. from clippings, plants and seeds). This is a project I will at least experiment with.
Thanks for everyone's input. I really appreciate it

 

[HistoricFoodie]

Just so you don't get frustrated, MBE, many herbs have notoriously low germination rates. So, for those you start from seed, you might want to over plant to assure getting what you want.

Many herb seeds are very tiny, almost dust like. If you mix them with fine sand, however, it helps to spread the seed more evenly.

 

[MrsBlueEyzz]

Just so you don't get frustrated, MBE, many herbs have notoriously low germination rates. So, for those you start from seed, you might want to over plant to assure getting what you want.

Many herb seeds are very tiny, almost dust like. If you mix them with fine sand, however, it helps to spread the seed more evenly.

It is almost like when I planted a garden when I was younger, we would plant a lot more seeds than necessary and weed them out as they grew. I will only plant the ones that are absolutely necessary from seed. All others will be from clippings or plants already thriving

 

[DampCharcoal]

It is almost like when I planted a garden when I was younger, we would plant a lot more seeds than necessary and weed them out as they grew. I will only plant the ones that are absolutely necessary from seed. All others will be from clippings or plants already thriving

Keep us updated! I'm planning on growing sweet basil, oregano and rosemary. I live in Ohio and container gardening seems to be the way to go.

I'm also looking for a really nice pot to grow a bay laurel. Not that I'd use it much, it just looks really cool!

 

[tinlizzie]

This has been a very interesting thread. I'd like some advice on a rosemary plant in my yard, please. I'm in SW FL, with temperate but distinct rainy and dry seasons. I have a rosemary in a dry location - it's about 2 feet high. I moved it a few months ago and it lost nearly all its leaves/needles but has now recovered and the tops are greening up again, even showing a few flowers. But the lower stems are still naked. Should I cut it back close to the ground and let it regrow from there or is that too drastic?

 

[DampCharcoal]

I'm curious to know too, tinlizzie. I don't know anything about gardening! I've never actually maintained a garden, even a small one. I hope I don't have the black thumb of death.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I'm curious to know too, tinlizzie. I don't know anything about gardening! I've never actually maintained a garden, even a small one. I hope I don't have the black thumb of death.

I can't even get plants to get in my shopping cart...they throw their fronds out and refuse to get in. They know they are going to the "House of Doom." Seeds are defenseless, but if you hold the packet right you can hear them shaking in fear.

 

[MrsBlueEyzz]

I can't even get plants to get in my shopping cart...they throw their fronds out and refuse to get in. They know they are going to the "House of Doom." Seeds are defenseless, but if you hold the packet right you can hear them shaking in fear.

I used to think that I had a black thumb until I started to care for a Peace Lily at home. Once I learned how to "read it" when it needs water/sun, etc. It boosted my confidence and now I have a few other plants indoors. Growing herbs and spices is going to be a challenge, but worth it if it works in my favor
I say to give it a try and see what happens. The worst thing is that it will die and I will have to go buy them at the grocery store ha ha

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My Mom has a jungle in her house...I did not inherit that gene, I got all the fun stuff (high blood pressure, heart disease...). What I don't neglect/overprotect, the cats will decide it's good for eating. I kill cactus...

 

[GLC]

This has been a very interesting thread. I'd like some advice on a rosemary plant in my yard, please. I'm in SW FL, with temperate but distinct rainy and dry seasons. I have a rosemary in a dry location - it's about 2 feet high. I moved it a few months ago and it lost nearly all its leaves/needles but has now recovered and the tops are greening up again, even showing a few flowers. But the lower stems are still naked. Should I cut it back close to the ground and let it regrow from there or is that too drastic?

That's kind a tricky one. You could leave it alone and let it recover, but I think it might be permanently affected. A conservative approach is probably best. Leave it alone for now. (You wouldn't want to prune while it's flowering, anyway.) If it recovers and fills out, fine. It's a big plant to be cutting back to the ground, but if it stays bare on the lower parts and just looks bad, I'd do that, but only as the last resort. Rosemary is tough, so you have time to see what happens.

 

[DampCharcoal]

My Mom has a jungle in her house...I did not inherit that gene, I got all the fun stuff (high blood pressure, heart disease...). What I don't neglect/overprotect, the cats will decide it's good for eating. I kill cactus...

Heh, my grandpa was City Forester of Portland, Oregon and taught at Ohio State and my dad has two degrees in horticulture from Ohio State.

And then there's me.

 

[MrsBlueEyzz]

My Mom has a jungle in her house...I did not inherit that gene, I got all the fun stuff (high blood pressure, heart disease...). What I don't neglect/overprotect, the cats will decide it's good for eating. I kill cactus...

I do recall killing cactus when I was younger. My mother has a jungle also. I still have to be careful with my selections. I can't say I have a great green thumb, just a partial one ha ha

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Heh, my grandpa was City Forester of Portland, Oregon and taught at Ohio State and my dad has two degrees in horticulture from Ohio State.

And then there's me.

That's why your charcoal is damp...too much green...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I do recall killing cactus when I was younger. My mother has a jungle also. I still have to be careful with my selections. I can't say I have a great green thumb, just a partial one ha ha

I have faith that you will be able to grow some herbs in your Condo. Anything comes my way and I will memorialize it in your name.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Basil is easy from seed--I just started a number of pots full indoors. I plant it in-between my tomatoes. It seems to keep the big green hornworms away, and the shade offered by the tomato plants keeps the basil from bolting, so I have basil all summer. There are many varieties of basil--purple, Thai, lemon, a little one that turns into a round ball of leaves--so go wild!

I would go for plants for most of the rest of those herbs--seeds sometimes don't come true to the parent plant, so you have a better chance of getting what you want from a clipping or started plant.

They all need plenty of light--they will be leggy and weak if they don't get enough.

 

[Dawgluver]

This has been a very interesting thread. I'd like some advice on a rosemary plant in my yard, please. I'm in SW FL, with temperate but distinct rainy and dry seasons. I have a rosemary in a dry location - it's about 2 feet high. I moved it a few months ago and it lost nearly all its leaves/needles but has now recovered and the tops are greening up again, even showing a few flowers. But the lower stems are still naked. Should I cut it back close to the ground and let it regrow from there or is that too drastic?

Rosemary can be shaped into a type of topiary. As it's a woody plant, I would be hesitant to cut it back to the ground, TL. Maybe prune off the dead lower branches, might look kind of interesting.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

One manicure for Rosemary, coming up...

 

[Dawgluver]

Basil is easy from seed--I just started a number of pots full indoors. I plant it in-between my tomatoes. It seems to keep the big green hornworms away, and the shade offered by the tomato plants keeps the basil from bolting, so I have basil all summer. There are many varieties of basil--purple, Thai, lemon, a little one that turns into a round ball of leaves--so go wild!

I would go for plants for most of the rest of those herbs--seeds sometimes don't come true to the parent plant, so you have a better chance of getting what you want from a clipping or started plant.

They all need plenty of light--they will be leggy and weak if they don't get enough.

I direct seed my basil outside, always end up with a goodly amount. I like to plant some around my tomatoes too.

I agree, buying the plants or doing cuttings is the way to go for most herbs.

 

[Dawgluver]

One manicure for Rosemary, coming up...

 

[Merlot]

I'm also looking for a really nice pot to grow a bay laurel. Not that I'd use it much, it just looks really cool!

I found a bay laurel a few years back and was so excited with it then I had to move and it died I have never found one again, I am lucky just to find the basic herbs around here!

I have been wanting to plant stuff already, I can't wait until spring hits and all the greenhouses are open. I love walking in them, everything looks so pretty and fresh. I don't think I need to get excited too soon, we are under a storm warning for the biggest snow of the year.