Guide to growing herbs

 

Herbs are one of the easiest things to grow at home in your garden, or in pots. There are many that can be grown all year around, providing fresh ingredients for your meals as you need them. Imagine never having to find a limp slimy pile of herbs you only just purchased at the bottom of your fridge ever again?

My main three tips for growing herbs successfully are:

1. Provide water to your plants consistently
2. Plant in good soil, if you use poor quality soil in pots (containers) your plants will not thrive. If planting in pots change the soil each time you replant, or at a minimum every 6 months.
3. Provide sun for at least 4 hours per day

You do not need a garden to grow herbs, each of them can be grown in a pot. I strongly recommend that you avoid adding those in the mint family to a garden bed as they will spread aggressively. A pot will keep them well contained. If you are growing herbs in pots, ensure that you give lemongrass and rosemary a very large one as they will grow into large bushes.

Herbs to grow all year:

Each of these herbs listed below can be grown all year around in a temperate climate.

• Chives
• Lemongrass
• Marjoram
• Mint
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Spearmint
• Tarragon
• Thyme
• Vietnamese Mint

Growing Notes:

If you are yet to plant these herbs they can are best planted at these times:

The number listed next to each plant is my recommendation on the quantity to plant for a small family of four.

Spring

• Chives (2)
• Mint varieties (1)
• Sage (1)
• Tarragon (1)

Summer

• Lemongrass (1)

Autumn

• Marjoram (1)
• Oregano (1)
• Parsley (2)
• Rosemary (1)
• Thyme (2)

Many of these herbs will die back over winter and then revive in spring. Don’t remove them from the garden or pots when they die back. Leave them to rest and revive.

In spring most of them (but not all) will flower. Once the flowers are spent it is a good time to cut the plant back by about a third.

Fertalise the plants at the beginning of each season and mulch in summer.

Pay attention to herbs in summer if they are being grown in pots as they will dry out quickly.

 

Seasonal Herbs:

Each variety of herbs are at their best during certain seasons, some will only grow during a particular season.

Spring

• Coriander (2)

Summer

• Basil (2)

Autumn

• Coriander

Winter

• Parsley (2)

As with the other herbs these will also go to flower if growing conditions are not ideal. This can include lack of, or inconsistent water, or excess heat or stress. A quick growth spurt can be the trigger for this.

Once a herb goes to flower you have two choices:

1. Leave it to go to flower, the bees and insects in your garden will love it. After flowering the plant will go to seed. You can save them or leave the plant in for the seeds to disperse. They will then hopefully re-seed in your garden next year.
2. Cut the plant back to below the flowering stem, provide water if needed and hope the plant continues to produce well
3. Remove the plant and add something else to the garden in it’s spot. You may wish to do this if it is the end of the season.

When to remove herbs:

Seasonal herbs can be removed from the garden at a time that suits you.

As a new season approaches or arrives it is likely you will be looking for additional space in your garden or pots to add new season seedlings. This is a good time to remove a plant that has produced well over a season.

A good sign that a plant is ready to be removed is when the stems become thicker than they have been across the season. They can go “woody” and will be producing less leaves at this point in time.

You can read this post I wrote many years ago with some tips on how to select the herbs you’d like to grow.

Happy growing. I would love to hear which herbs you are going to add to your garden, or a pot this weekend.