I'm going to start growing herbs finally! Don't know why it took me so long. I'd like to start with the easiest to grow herbs and will plant some in the garden and others in pots on my kitchen windowsill. I have a couple of quick questions for you herbalists: 1) Mint. I have read that it's not recommended to plant in the ground, point well taken. Would it be better to buy a small plant right now, or do seeds sprout and grow pretty quickly? 2) What are some of the simplest herbs to grow in the ground? Ones that won't get out of control or need constant attention and resuscitation? I love gardening but my hands are already full with the veggie garden! Should be a fun project. I keep the books for a local grocer so I haven't felt pressure to grow my own herbs, but figure it's something I could easily do myself. Any starting advice would be very appreciated!
scarycary, Very nice. Let us see it when you are done. I think I will make a temporary one. My hubby wants me to do one behind the greenhouse but not yet. Right now I grow allot of them in the greenhouse. Barb in Pa.
Herbs can get overgrown if not harvested regularly and if you can't harvest regularly you will need to trim them back before they get too leggy and flop over. Most will need regular watering and feeding just like other plants. Planting them in the veggie garden can be beneficial to them and to the veggies since there are some companion plants that help each other grow and produce. But there are herb and veggie growing partners that will be harmful to the veggies. And while you are tending to your veggies the herbs are right there too. Companion planting. has been brought up before on GardenStew, you might find these older topics helpful. Mint in containers unless you want a forever ground cover. Personally I just buy the small plants, never have tried to grow it from seeds. But for the most part it is carefree, in planters it will need to be watered when it wilts. Rosemary I think is the closest herb there is to totally carefree...even though it does tend to expand over the years so keeping it cut back is necessary. But an established plant will live and thrive on whatever rain or watering it gets. in Zone 8 they are evergreen and love whatever winter weather we do get, that's when mine have the most blooms. Lemon Balm is another one that will take whatever you want to give it as far as sun and water goes. But it also will spread itself to places you didn't know it knew how to get to. I grow most of my herbs in containers and they do have to be watered regularly, having never grown anything other than Rosemary and Lemon Balm in the ground I don't know what their water requirement there would be.
Oh my, there is nothing to compare with freshly snipped herbs from your garden to add to salads, stews, on top of vegetables, and even in desserts (can you tell I dearly love herbs?). Mints should definitely be kept in pots, but a plastic pot with the bottom cut out, and dug into the ground with about 2" of the rim above ground, will contain mint if you want to put it in the "ground". Basil does well in pots, as long as the pot is adequate for the basil. A one-gallon pot works, but if you can go bigger, do so. Thyme also grows well in pots, and since its root system is shallower, you can put it in a wide, shallow pot like the hanging pot type. Oregano needs to be in the ground. It spreads, and gets a good root system. There is the vulgaris and the Greek oregano. Either one is great! Rosemary, in my opinion, is absolutely necessary in the herb garden. Tuscan rosemary is the best--great scent and taste, very easy to grow, and has a lovely blue-green color. Rosemary should go in the ground--it needs room to grow. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and the mints are perennials, so you should plan on having them in a spot for years. Parsley and dill are treated as annuals, but dill self-seeds. You can pop them in an empty space, but since they are also cool-season herbs, they will disappear in hot weather. Basil is also an annual, but loves heat. I plant several basils near my tomato plants. They seem to enjoy each other's company!
Thank you all so much for your help! I will definitely put up pictures when I plant everything. I think I'm going to start with Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Mint (not sure which one yet), and Basil.
