Time to plant a herb garden

[AlexR]

Yup, March/April is a good time in the Northern Hemisphere to plant herbs.

Fortunately, you can usually do this even if you live in a city.

Today, I planted (either from seed, or ready-bought):

Basil: I'm a fanatic... I buy the kind with big, fat leaves and lots of essential oils

Rosemary

Thyme

Sage

and I already have a bay leaf plant

I'd be interested to hear from others:
- what other fresh herbs you have
- any suggestions as to growing them

Best regards,
Alex R.

 

[LEFSElover]

well then, it's time to get out those corriander seeds and plop them in soil? Okay, will do. I am with you as far as the basil stuff goes. Love the stuff. I buy about 4 or 5 kinds so I have a huge variety and it lasts a long time.

I am wondering if anyone can tell me, what kind of soil do I use in a pot for planting these seeds or prebought variety? Is it Supersoil with dirt, Miracle Grow soil with ordinary dirt a combo of? I know the supersoil stuff is very porous and drains quickly. Real dirt or a combination of, holds in the water better. On a patio, where there is morning sun, should work.

Thanks for reminding me, it's now time. Also it's time to get those tomatoe plants in too. I sure wish I could remember how to spell tomatoe and potato.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have Hallepenos that are just getting ready to bloom that I planted about a month ago, sweet basil that is just starting to become a useful group of plants (starting to take off, again plantes about a month ago from seed), and a pot-full of oregano seeds that I planted today. I also planted a pot-full of chives, and 72 tomato seeds in a Jiffy Starter kit that came with peat-pellets in a plastic tray. By the time may rolls around, they sould be ready to transplant outside. On payday, I'm going to purchase two hanging strawberry kits, each holding 10 everbearing plants, and 2 kits for hanging grape tomatoes.

And don't forget the herbs you might already be growing, and not even know it. I will be trying to grow lavender this year. I already have wild roses growing in a large bushy pland. I have wild raspberries (the leaves are a great herb with medicinal properties that can be used in teas. And don't forget dandylion leaves, and wild weed such as sourgrass and comfrey. You probably have a good number of herbs growing in your lawn. I know that I do. I have a neighbor that thinks my lawn is a mess. It is cut, and isn't an eyesore or anything. But it definately has more than just grass in it. And I like it that way. That neighbor can just jump in the lake (and in my neck of the woods, the lakes are cold year-round.).

Go on line and look at household herbs. You might be suprised to find that some of the flowers growing in your yard are not only beautiful, but can be used as herbs too. Think nasturniums (sp), chrysanthemums, roses, etc.

I think that with 72 tomato plants, I'm going to be a very busy canner this August, and with tomatoes truly ripened on the vine. I can hardly wait for a great blt. and salads with tomato flavor, and sauces, and...

Oh, and those strawberries, the leaves are herbs as well. And then there's the cilantro, whose seeds are known as coriander. That grows very well in my back-yard garden.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[silentmeow]

Alex, I'm starting mine inside this weekend. In MI one never knows when the weather will turn on you! I too love the basils. I have never started this from seed, usually buy the plants, purple and green for color. I have a large pot of lemon thyme that I move inside during the winter and back out in the spring. My rosemary, thyme (regular) and sage come up every spring so I don't have to re-plant. I didn't know that one could plant bay leaf! Do you start it from seed or buy established plants? I would love to add that to the garden.

 

[shannon in KS]

I can't wait! I am thinking about starting a few things inside, but don't have many sunny windows . Bummer, I am soooo ready!

 

[urmaniac13]

We are planning to restart our herb pot (well no pan intended, everything quite legal!! ) on our kitchen window sill!! We are going to plant flat leaved parsley, basil (both were great success last year.. though poor guys shriveled out during the winter...) also oregano and majoram... we may see if we can find some coriander seeds for planting, for growing cilantro!!

One question though... can we recycle the soil we used last year, after picking out the "corpses" of the crop from the last year? Or we need to replace it with a fresh soil? (we get those enriched soil for planting from the gardening shop...)

 

[BreezyCooking]

Herb Gardens

Since my parents got me interested in cooking at a very young & tender age, as well as into gardening, it was only natural that I'd develop a healthy interest in herbs. So much so that I started doing herbal gardens & herbal landscaping as a sort of business for awhile. I've also managed to acquire quite a collection of herb-related books - cookbooks, gardening books, old medicinal herbals, etc. I'm hoping, once we get more of our fixer-upper farm fixer-upped, to develop a few of the different herb gardens I used to have in NY.

These days, however, I just pretty much grow what I use most in the kitchen, most of them in pots on the deck for the time - Italian flat-leaf parsley, garlic chives, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, sage, catnip (for both the cats & for tea), basil (Italian, lemon, & lime), dill, & a few others.

Parsley has already been started indoors under lights; basil & dill will be started in the next couple of weeks. Catnip & garlic chives are already poking up outside.

 

[marmalady]

Urmaniac, you could 'recycle' soil; if you're absolutely certain you had no little critters or diseases on your plants from last year. When I recycle, I add in by half either some new potting soil, or well composted mulch, and it works just fine.

Great source for herb seeds is www.cooksgarden.com


I just tore down my permanent herb garden and did replantings of what I still had, to place in large pots around the edging of my raised bed veggie garden. I had rosemary and sage, along with some Mexican tarragon coming back up from last year. The sage bush was about 4 feet high and about 3-4 feet broad! I actually had to give it quite a haircut to make it manageable for the pot! The rosemary bush was about 2 feet tall, and had to do the same thing with it.

Couple of things to remember when you're planting herbs - those cute, pretty little windowsill pots will get too small in a very short time, if your herbs are getting plenty of sun and fertilizer. (Last year I had some dill that grew to 3 feet before it seeded!)

To keep things like basil from getting 'leggy', pinch off the top leaves to encourage more side branching; and be sure to nip off any flower buds you see forming on the basil, as when the plant flowers, it will make the leaves more bitter.

If you've bought a little pot of baby chives, when you repot them, spread them out gently by the roots (a small-tined fork is great for this), to give them more elbow room to grow.

Be sure to give them lots of sun or equivalent 'grow lights' if indoors, but don't fertilize too, too much. Remember, herbs are basically 'weeds' that have been cultivated!

 

[urmaniac13]

Thanks for the tip Marm!!

Yes I know about the herbs tending to outgrow your expectations... The last year we planted them rather late, in August, but the pot was overflowing in our 50cmx15cm planter. We used them a lot, so we kept up with the growth but if we plant them this time in spring, it may really grow into a rain forest... however poor us, we don't have our garden or even a balcony, so this is all we can do!!
Cris has a garden space by the garage near the flat of his children/ex, we grow some rosemary and salvia, they also tend to overgrow... and we had to chop down the top of the bayleaf tree some month ago because it was getting way tall!!

 

[AllenOK]

Well, I got an herb garden going last year. I've noticed that my chives are already coming back up. My sage should start back soon. I got some tarragon going, I think, but it never tasted like anything. I want to get some lavender going. I should have two little patches of thyme come back.

 

[BreezyCooking]

If your Tarragon "never tasted like anything", chances are excellent that you have "Russian Tarragon", which is absolutely worthless. Any packs of seed marked "Tarragon", are Russian Tarragon & shouldn't be bothered with.

Purchase plants - & only plants - of French Tarragon, which is only available as plants, as it doesn't produce viable seed.

Add your "Russian Tarragon" to your compost pile.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I bought my seeds the other day but I've had a change of plans. I have the area all planned out but we have to replace windows that are above this area and we'll be stomping around and I think I best hold off planting them in the ground. Instead I'll be planting the herbs in various sized pots for eye appeal and some herbs need more room. Once we're done working in the area I'll transplant them.

I think I better go buy my trays and get the seeds started. Except, for the Rosemary.....I'll those seeds back. I found out it grows really slowly when started from seed.

I'm so excited!!

 

[SizzlininIN]

Ok.......I've done my research for all the different herbs I plan on growing. Here are a few sites that have wonderful information for those of you planning on growing an herb garden.

http://www.gardenersnet.com/herbs/

http://www.ehow.com/center_12.html

 

[marmalady]

Allen, keep an eye on your thyme patch; I've never had any luck with it coming back, even here in relatively warm SC!

 

[RMS]

I've had some herbs growing on my windowsill all winter and will be transplanting those and other outside in the coming weeks.
Gotta have my fresh basil and parsley.
I also keep bay, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, and sage.

 

[AllenOK]

I was at the store last night and realized something about my "tarragon". When I got my herbs going last year, it was in small pots in peat moss. It took while just to get sprouts, then to get the sprouts going in the dirt after I transplanted. I keep forgeting that I live way up in MI now, not in OK. Well, when I transplanted everything to the garden, I had them planted a little to close together. I also had the tarragon planted close to my lavender. Of the three of each little peat pots that I planted, only one plant came up, and I was never really sure what it was.

I looked at some Lavender seed packets last night, and realized that of the two kinds available, one doesn't bloom the first year. So, now I'm thinking that one plant wasn't tarragon, but Lavender. I'll let it come back this year, and see if it blooms.

I'm also going to see about getting some live plants this year, instead of starting from seed.

If my Thyme doesn't come back, I'm not really that worried, as I started Common Thyme, when what I wanted was Lemon Thyme, like we have at work.

I'm thinking about transplanting some of my chives into a pot, and pulling up the rest, as we don't really use them.

I had a bumper crop of sage last year, all from one plant. I ended up with 8 oz of dried crumbled sage, and I've barely made a dent into it over the winter. I have a few other sage plants that ought to come back as well as the big one (a gift from a neighbor), and I'm thinking I'm going to have enough sage to supply my boss for several months, or maybe co-workers.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Thanks for the tip Marm!!

Yes I know about the herbs tending to outgrow your expectations... The last year we planted them rather late, in August, but the pot was overflowing in our 50cmx15cm planter. We used them a lot, so we kept up with the growth but if we plant them this time in spring, it may really grow into a rain forest... however poor us, we don't have our garden or even a balcony, so this is all we can do!!
Cris has a garden space by the garage near the flat of his children/ex, we grow some rosemary and salvia, they also tend to overgrow... and we had to chop down the top of the bayleaf tree some month ago because it was getting way tall!!

The baay leaf is the leaf from a laurel tree. It can grow to 60 feet in height. It is a highly prized leaf and has been around since the days of ancient Greece. Roman emporeres wore Laral wreaths. The words poet laureate and bac-lauriete are titles using the honored laurel variation.

The bay leaf is believed to have medicinal properties and can be used with a host of foods, everything from chili and spaghetti sauce, to soups and pickling mixtures.

So remember, bour bay leaf tree is a tree, a laurel tree.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[BreezyCooking]

Do, however, keep in mind that there are MANY laurels out there, & many of them are POISONOUS.

The Bay Laurel, or Sweet Bay, is the one used in cooking, & is not just a leaf from any "laurel tree". It is not to be confused with the many native & ornamental laurels out there, which should not be taken internally.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Do, however, keep in mind that there are MANY laurels out there, & many of them are POISONOUS.

The Bay Laurel, or Sweet Bay, is the one used in cooking, & is not just a leaf from any "laurel tree". It is not to be confused with the many native & ornamental laurels out there, which should not be taken internally.

You get Karma for that one.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Constance]

We are planning to restart our herb pot (well no pan intended, everything quite legal!! ) on our kitchen window sill!! We are going to plant flat leaved parsley, basil (both were great success last year.. though poor guys shriveled out during the winter...) also oregano and majoram... we may see if we can find some coriander seeds for planting, for growing cilantro!!

One question though... can we recycle the soil we used last year, after picking out the "corpses" of the crop from the last year? Or we need to replace it with a fresh soil? (we get those enriched soil for planting from the gardening shop...)

You really need to use fresh soil every year. Never scrimp on your soil.