Garden 2024

[GotGarlic]

Herb question: Every year, I manage to plant seedlings for herbs. They will grow, but are spindly and then quickly bolt. How do I get bushy basil, thicker dill, bouquets of parsley? And how can I get an herb garden that sticks around?

Most herbs do best when they're neglected. They don't need a lot of water or fertilizer. They do need a lot of direct sun. I don't water mine at all - they just get rain.

Dill is a cool-weather plant that quickly bolts in the heat, but you can succession-plant it - start new seeds every few weeks, direct-sowed into the garden. For basil, once it's a couple feet tall, trim the tips to encourage more stems to grow. Parsley grows like a weed for me. It's a biennial, so the second year, it bolts, flowers and sends seeds everywhere, so I get volunteers the next year.

 

[taxlady]

Most herbs do best when they're neglected. They don't need a lot of water or fertilizer. They do need a lot of direct sun. I don't water mine at all - they just get rain.

Dill is a cool-weather plant that quickly bolts in the heat, but you can succession-plant it - start new seeds every few weeks, direct-sowed into the garden. For basil, once it's a couple feet tall, trim the tips to encourage more stems to grow. Parsley grows like a weed for me. It's a biennial, so the second year, it bolts, flowers and sends seeds everywhere, so I get volunteers the next year.

The herbs that I have grown outdoors that grew the best were neglected. I have tried with dill and it always bolts. I'll have to try the succession planting. I guess I can leave the stuff that comes up in or near autumn to grow flowers and seeds. I haven't seen dill with the flowers for sale in a very long time. Is dill biennial too?

I had the same experience with parsley. Some of the seeds seem to have stayed in the soil an extra winter and within a few years I was getting bountiful crops of first year and of second year parsley every year. One funny thing was that I originally planted curly parsley. After a few years, it was flat leaf parsley.

The only things I do with the chives is cut off the flowers and make sure that people don't step on the plants. The flowers go in salads, but I try to get the flowers when they are tiny buds. I have found that if I leave flowers too long, the plant puts all it's energy into the flowers and seeds and then it has far less onion flavour.

 

[dragnlaw]

I had a nursery dill plant from a couple of years ago, it is still seeding itself and I have to clean it out and away from the rest of the garden all the time! Only a couple are allowed to develop heads with the seeds. I like all parts of the plant, head (with seeds), seeds alone, and the dill fronds for fish and other dishes.

 

[larry_stewart]

I always grow tons of dill ( enough for a year) very early, cause it freezes so well ( when compared to other herbs). I do grow more during the main season, but usually it bolts, or gets covered with Black Swallowtail butterfly eggs.

 

[pepperhead212]

Even when I buy them, they don't become bushy or lush. They grow taller without adding anything and bolt. It really destroys my chance of Pollyanna bliss when everyone else (or just my sister) seems to neglect herbs but they grow in bunches and batches often year after year. You know?

Dukat and Tetra are the two dill varieties I grow mostly for the leaf part - they would eventually go to seed, but not as quickly as others. The Tetra I tried once in hydroponics, but the roots grew so fast that I could hardly pull it out of the basket - after that, I only grew the Dukat in the hydro or potted. In the hydro, as long as I keep cutting it, it doesn't bolt, until over 5 months after planting. In the ground I'll plant the Tetra. I plant a lot for the swallowtails.

For basil, my favorite varieties are a couple of shorter, bushy varieties, that I grew originally because of the hydroponics, and later in those sub-irrigated planters I use as windowsill boxes, around with deck. One is Dolce Fresca, which is similar to Genovese basil in flavor, and the leaf shape. The other, a variety available from Burpee, is Spicy Saber basil, also known as Sawtooth basil. Both stay bushy, and only about 10-12" tall, and as long as I keep cutting them, they don't bolt, until very late in the season. And Siam Queen is the best flavored Thai basil - bolts a little earlier, but even the edible purple flowers are often used for garnish.

Parsley usually won't bolt the first season, unless something stresses it greatly, like extreme temperatures. Some perennials, like oregano, marjoram, and chives, flower early, and I just leave it for the bees - eventually, I snip the chives flowers off when harvesting some to use, and throw the hard stems away, with the flowers. Mint, oregano, and garlic chives are herbs that will become invasive, if grown with other herbs, the garlic chives, especially. I never understood why the regular chives didn't spread like the garlic chives, which spread not just from the roots, but the seeds; the regular chives, with the purple flowers, never show up far away from the plants. Sage and rosemary are two more perennials that don't need much attention, except for the rosemary, in colder areas - the sage I cut down to the ground, once it dies off from cold (only one season in 40 did the plant not die off for me, and only one extremely cold winter killed the sage that year), and it grows back larger every season.
The one herb I can't grow is cilantro. It bolts early, but let's face it, the regions where it is used the most are NOT cold areas, but more tropical areas, so I think it's a length of day thing, like with onions. Fortunately, cilantro is available almost everywhere these days, at least around here.
Today I set up my cloner, to root the cuttings from a few Red Epazote cuttings, and several each of the basil cuttings. In several days, I'll be able to plant those, and save a lot of time, compared to starting from seeds.
Cloning some basil and epazote cuttings. 5-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[taxlady]

Dukat and Tetra are the two varieties I grow mostly for the leaf part - they would eventually go to seed, but not as quickly as others.

Which herb would those two be varieties of?

 

[dragnlaw]

taxy, I think they are Dill. Am I right pepper?

 

[pepperhead212]

Yes, dragn, you're right - it's dill. I thought everyone knew that!
I went and added it in there - you weren't able to do that more than 20 minutes after post something, way back, but now you can do it, quite a while after; I don't know what the cutoff time is now.

Speaking of dill, this morning I saw some volunteer dill in a few places - some in my onion/scallion/shallot bed, and one (maybe?) where I planted some cilantro, and this looks more like dill! The cilantro I planted is not that "frilly" variety (another that bolted on me, when I tried it), but some Burbee variety. I'll eventually see what this is.

I got 3 of the 6 cukes planted today - the other 3 I'll give to my friend I gave all those extra tomatoes to. In under a week, they had their first true leaves just starting, plus a bunch of roots coming out the sides of the pellets. I'll plant another batch of them in a couple of weeks, for a succession planting.

 

[Kathleen]

Thanks, Pepper! I will seek out those varieties and give them a try.

CD, I do have a lot of nutrients around them. Maybe as others mentioned, I need to ignore them. My plants are all as spoiled as I can make them.

Today is World Naked Gardening Day. It's pretty cold here, so I planted some herbs in the kitchen planters....and um...celebrated.

 

[blissful]

The little cherry tree on the left, the apple tree a little behind it to the right.

 

[dragnlaw]

Cherry and apple honey later to remind you how beautiful the trees were this spring.

 

[rodentraiser]

RR you don't need to dig up your tomatoes! Put a plastic bag over or a box. Should be enough to protect them. If they are really small, maybe an empty flower pot?

By the time I saw your post, the freeze had already gone by. The tomatoes are fine - I think. They're starting to go brown on their leaves going from the inside out. I don't know if it's the frost or if it's an excess of water because of all the rain. At any rate, new leaves are forming, so I'll keep a close watch on those.

I have to move around a few plants tomorrow. The climbing rose is so large and lush, it's throwing shade on the plants behind it, so it has to go to the back. I have to figure out what to do with it. It's in a barrel with a 5-ring tomato cage, but it'll outgrow that by next spring. I saw a bud on it already.

Well, you guys, I need to remember to keep my mouth shut. A week from Saturday we're going to be in the 80s. I'm not sure I like that this early in the year.

On the bright side, although this isn't exactly garden stuff, the contractor spread the dirt that was dropped off last week and he says he'll begin seeding on Tuesday. With him, that probably means the following Saturday, but - WOWEE!

I didn't know my yard was so large. Now I need to mark for him where I want the orchard grass and wildflowers and where I want the lawn. I just hope all the grass seed and wild flowers grow.

 

[pepperhead212]

Here's how much larger the eggplants grew in just 10 days, since that last photo! And, like the tomatoes, the only fert is that silica supplement, and a very small amount - ~1/8 tsp/gal - of that hydroponics fertilizer, that I use for greens and herbs. I didn't even realize what a short time it was, until I looked at that previous eggplant photo!
15 eggplants hardening off, 5-6, started on 4-3 this time. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I wanted to start hardening them off before, but there was all that rain the last two days. Oh well, weather doesn't always cooperate!
I wanted to plant them soon, but every day we have thunderstorms forecast, and Thursday they are forecasting gusty thunderstorms, so I'll have to see how that changes.

 

[larry_stewart]

Looking good! I just started hardening my tomatoes and a few peppers I got online. My peppers from seed still need a little bit more time inside. My okra just sprouted but won't get it in the garden til late may. beans sprouted, They grow quick, so probably in a week or so Ill start hardening them. Last thing unaccounted for is sweet potatoes, but they usually don't become available here until the last week of May.

 

[blissful]

We blew up our push mower yesterday...so bummed. We picked up a new troy built push mower and assembled it and it's mowing. Mr bliss is such a trooper to push mow it all. Some dandelions were deflowered as a result.

 

[caseydog]

Looking good! I just started hardening my tomatoes and a few peppers I got online. My peppers from seed still need a little bit more time inside. My okra just sprouted but won't get it in the garden til late may. beans sprouted, They grow quick, so probably in a week or so Ill start hardening them. Last thing unaccounted for is sweet potatoes, but they usually don't become available here until the last week of May.

My sister in Houston is already harvesting peppers, and should be picking cherry tomatoes next week. Probably late May for the larger tomatoes.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

My sister in Houston is already harvesting peppers, and should be picking cherry tomatoes next week. Probably late May for the larger tomatoes.

CD

Arghhh - and we haven't even planted anything yet. sooo jealous.
Of course, not jealous of the heat she'll probably be getting later during the summer, - bit of both, eh? Two worlds.

 

[caseydog]

Arghhh - and we haven't even planted anything yet. sooo jealous.
Of course, not jealous of the heat she'll probably be getting later during the summer, - bit of both, eh? Two worlds.

Yeah, the plants will be done by July. They can do a second planting down there once the 100F days are gone -- usually first week in September. But, that is in the peak of Hurricane season, so she doesn't bother. It is predicted to be an active hurricane season this year.

CD

 

[pepperhead212]

I got a lot done today, starting early. Even though it was not hot - only 72 or 73 degrees, so about average - it was very humid! Started out that way being foggy, which took a while to lift. I took that eggplant out to start it out, and finished taking my indoor plants outside - something I thought I'd have to get help with, for those lime trees, but I got them out on that homemade dolly, I made just for these things a couple of years ago. One of these nights I'll clean that mess up in there, when I'm finished with the outside stuff!

I pulled the last 4 Swiss chard plants out of my front flowerbed, as they were just starting to bolt, plus I had to clean out the bed, and get it ready for some other things. I got over 12 quarts of Swiss chard from it, and that's. after getting numerous cuttings, through the winter. I thought sure it would bolt even faster. The longer, lighter colored stalks in the bowl are a variety from Baker Creek that are an "improved" Rhubarb, which hadn't bolted, while all the others, a Rhubarb from Burpee, were just starting to bolt.
A 12 qt bowl, filled with Swiss Chard. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I also got my 'tiller working - something I usually don't have a problem with, but I couldn't get it to start Friday, even with some starter fluid (something I often have to use the first time of the season). I finally thought that it might be the gas, even though I always add STABIL to the gas, and it keeps it OK the entire winter, when some is in the tanks. So I drained the tank, got some fresh today, and it started up! I then 'tilled most of what I could - what is still covered is for butternuts later, and I'll 'til it when I am ready to plant it, and cover it with the fabric, before planting the butternuts.

After getting everything put away outside, I went inside, and got a call from my gardening friend, that I gave my extra tomatoes to, and I'll have my extra eggplants, peppers, and a few other things. She was asking me about a number of herbs - not something I thought she used many of, since she's Indian, and these aren't the traditional herbs they use. So I told her that I'd start a bunch of those cuttings off my plants, that root easily, and quickly.

 

[pepperhead212]

I got some of my beans in today - had to pull the chicken wire out on one side, and pull out the irrigation line, to cut all the old weeds out, then put the line back, then put some cardboard down, with some slots cut in it where the drip irrigators go, and to plant the beans in. I got the Thai Red and Sweet White long beans, and the Purple Blauhilde and Rattlesnake pole beans in, with about 1/3 more space to plant more beans in (had to stop, since it was getting dark!). I am having to put off planting the eggplants until after Thursday, or at least that's when they are forecasting "gusting thunderstorms" now, but those things change constantly.