Anyone else plant their own herbs?

[SizzlininIN]

Well I was hoping to be in our new home by now so I could plant my herb garden. Looks like I'll have to pot them in planters again and then transplant once we move. I love putting them in clay pots and putting them on the window seal just outside my kitchen windows. Its wonderful to just open the window and snip what I need.

I usually just plant: Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Dill, Chives, Thyme, and Rosemary......they all do well in planters.

Whats in your herb garden? What kind of herbs do you have to be careful of growing because they will take over the garden?

What been your experience growing herbs? What tips can you give me?

Thanks!

 

[choclatechef]

Parsley can seed itself everywhere if you let it. Chives can take over!

Keep mints in a container -- they are wild spreaders from the roots. Mint even moved out into the lawn and took over there pretty much. Although I must admit I loved the scent of freshly mowed mint after the grass was cut.

 

[Andy M.]

I thought we planted a herb garden but it turns out we are just maintaining a buffet for a ground hog.

 

[marmalady]

Andy - lol - I had a ground hog clean out my entire melon bed one year - looked like it hadn't even been planted! I'm surprised they went after the herbs - they're usually too 'stinky' for most pests.


I've got parsley, cilantro, sage, rosemary, French and Mexican Tarragon (it gets too hot here later on for the French, and the Mexican is a pretty okay sub); savory; basil; oregano; marjoram; thyme; regular chives, and garlic chives; oh, and my little bay tree I bought when it was just a few inches tall is now 5 feet!

 

[HanArt]

Marmalady, I'm growing Mexican tarragon this year too. Any suggestions for uses?

No mint, but the lemon balm can be pretty vigorous. All the parsley is trying to flower which means the flavor is changing. I keep waiting for Black Swallowtails to ovipost, but it's not happening yet. Same with the dill & burnet ... all flowering, so they're almost done. Have rosemary & thyme year round. Regular chives are blooming now ... their garlic cousin blooms in August. Also growing lots of basils. The lovage sort of sat there all winter and now is putting on growth, but I don't think it's gonna last in the heat. Also growing lemon verbena for the first time this year. What a wonderful scent! Can't wait to use it in something.

One of my favorite herbs to just touch & smell is coconut scented geranium.

Oh, and the pineapple sage is blooming like crazy! Usually I get a few blooms in the spring and a spectacular show in the fall, so this is a treat for me and the hummers!

 

[middie]

nothing growing here. i have a black thumb. even my tomato plant died that was just given to me 3 weeks ago lol.

 

[crewsk]

I have a pot full of parsley on my back porch & one measly sprig of dill that came up in another pot. It's not even the pot I had it planted in last year. I guess it must have dropped some seeds into it. Normally I have basil, oregano, chives, & thyme also but I've been rather lazy about getting them put in this year.

 

[jkath]

These gals are right - mint and lemon balm grow like crazy! Which is why I love 'em!
My lemon grows right under my giant purple wisteria arch, and the smell of those two are heavenly. I just took out a ton of mint from my front planter yesterday, as I like to let it sprout up fresh every summer (I kept the roots there). My sweet basil is potted in a 5 gallon pot and thrives too. For some reason, my lavendar died this year, so I'll have to replace that beauty.

 

[comissaryqueen]

I plant an herb garden every year. My sage returns by itself year after year. I am having a hard time finding my favorite herb this season. Tarragon is a hot commodity here. I love my Basil but end up with sooo much. I pass it out to the neighbors.

 

[jkath]

hanArt - I've never seen coconut geranium - what a treat!!!
I've got many different ones, including cinnamon geranium, my favorite. I'm thinking of planting chocolate geranium too.

 

[marmalady]

Hanart, you can use the Mexican tarragon just as you would the French- it's just a little more citrusy, maybe, and a spicier taste, too. Also, try using some last minute in your chili dishes, or any Mexican dish.

 

[crewsk]

This is my parsley plant. I started it from seeds last spring & it has come back really well as you can see.

 

[AllenOK]

Well, since this is the first growing season my in first house, I wanted to plant some herbs, but I didn't realize the bed that I had in mind for them already had bulbs in it. Of course, ALL the beds have bulbs in them, but, the biggest bed, which also gets the most sunlight, has enough space for some herbs (we'll remove the bulbs this fall and transplant them somewhere else).

Earlier this spring, I started some thyme, chives, sage, lavender, tarragon, basil, and rosemary. I got sprouts in I think all of the little planters I used, but due to the weird spring here, most of them died. I've since planted what I did have in the largest bed. I knew which ones were chives, but the rest pretty much looked alike. When I planted them, I planted what I thought was my thyme in one spot, the chives in another, and the basil in a third.

Well, the basil all died in the freak snowstorm we had a few weeks ago. Most of my "thyme" is either tarragon or lavender, with a little clump of thyme growing right next to it. I found some sage seeds that never germinated, and planted them in dirt, but nothings happened. I also found that obviously, some of my basil seeds washed out of the little planters I used and ended up in the dirt. I watched that closely, and when the second set of leaves opened up, I noticed that it was actually MINT. Those mint seedlings I'm picking out, as I don't want mint in my main flowerbed. I've also started seeing some chives come up away from where I planted them. I guess some of those seeds washed out as well. Just tonight, I went out and looked, and realized I do have a little basil coming up, as I can smell the difference in the leaves. No sign of rosemary. It may not even do good this far north. I'll probably get some more sage seeds (or live seedlings) and see if I can get those going.

 

[buckytom]

my sage, thyme, mint, and parsley all came back well this year on their own. i have added cilantro, rosemary, sweet italian basil, greek basil, marjoram, and chives.
i also am growing a chia herb garden that i received as a christmas gift. i have marjoram, cilantro, and basil growing on a sill in tiny pots.

 

[jkath]

okay, you started it...
Bucky, I think of you every time I go to Walmart and see the Homer Simpson Chia Head.

 

[buckytom]

oh man, i have to get one!!!!!!!

 

[Pam Leavy]

I have rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives and sage. The sage is new.


Basil always dies on me so I've given up. Too bad as it is my favorite.

There is mint out front that I brought from the old house. I thought I'd pulled it all out, but there it is.

pam

 

[shammrok]

I grow rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, chives, mint and lemon balm.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Wow...........thanks for the response. I have to admit I haven't heard of the variety of geraniums.

 

[HanArt]

marmalady, thanks for the tarragon tips!

jkath & Sizzlin, around here I can usually only find the rose or lemon scented geraniums. One year I ordered a few others from Pape Geno's (I think), but only the coconut has survived.

http://www.papagenos.com/default.asp