Growing herbs

Hey guys I'm looking at growing herbs and drying them this year. Should I be starting from seed inside outside or buying started plants? I'm in zone 5b. Any tips on growing them. I would like to grow basil, thyme, cumin, cilantro, and rosemary for sure. May try growing some others. Tia

 

I'm in zone 6a,
I did Basil and parsley last year, I started them indoors in Feb way too early but I wanted to get something going. both seedlings grew a bit then kinda stalled, but when we finally bought the house, I planted them in the garden the Basil Exploded!
I'd say you should definitely start them indoors, I think most herbs are not very needy and will not suffer much from transplant shock and such, not as much as other plants.

in zone 5b you should probably start everything indoors. expect for root veg.

 

How far ahead should you start herbs? My average last frost date is may 15th

 

I don't think it's going to matter. you could probably start them right now. you'll have some fresh herbs growing on your window ceil for a while until you harden them off and plant them outside. I started them at this time last year, they didn't grow much in the tiny cups (and my cats would nibble at them), they only really took off once outside.

I think the main concern with starting indoors too early, is that the plant will grow too tall and skinny, because of bad lighting and 0 wind / rain / weather. you end up with a mature plant that will have a very hard time "hardening off" and might never really adjust properly to outside.

IDK why, maybe i'm wrong, i just get the feeling that this isnt much of an issue for herbs.

 

Herbs are basically edible weeds ! They do much better grown outside than transplanted ! Rosemary can get to be the size of a small shrub ! Get a plant for that one ! Rest can be grown from seed if you wish !

 

I will be growing the herbs in pots mostly. How many basil and cilantro plants per pot? Also dill I will probably wanna start outside correct?

 

Brian, basil--one plant per one gallon pot, and harvest often.
Dill is best grown directly in the ground since it has a pretty extensive root system. If direct seeding isn't possible, put one dill plant in the largest pot you can manage. There are several varieties of dill--fern leaf which is a dwarf variety and probably more adapted to container growing; Long Island Mammoth, which will get to almost 3' tall and really will need a HUGE pot; and Bouquet, which is prolific and very tasty.
I can't comment on cilantro--although it is a common herb around here, we don't care for the taste and therefore I don't plant it.

 

Thank you for the reply. Is tomorrow to early to be starting them inside? I'm in zone 5b. I've got bouquet dill seed.

 

Brian, start your seedlings about six weeks before putting them outside. I'm starting our basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and parsley at the end of this month (inside of course, and when they sprout, under grow lights). Judge when you start yours by the calendar--six weeks before moving outdoors to harden off. If you don't know about hardening off, we'll explain!

 

I have grown basil, thyme, oregano, parsley & cilantro successfully in pots. I only start the basil, parsley & cilantro from seed, the others I buy as transplants.

I plant the parsley & basil & cilantro thickly, then thin them out by harvesting the wee plants.
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Cilantro tends to bolt easily, so I keep starting new seedlings.

 

My 2c worth on the cilantro... only start that outside in the flower/herb bed or garden. and allow it to bolt and reseed itself. all parts of the cilantro are edible. the stems, the leaves the flowers and the green seeds all taste like cilantro. don't worry about which part you are using if you want it for flavor rather than color. if you need color add some parsley.

Buy rosemary plants. keep those in a large pot and move them to a sheltered place for the Winter but don't cover the plant itself and don't let the soil mass dry out in the winter that is death for certain but rosemary is fickle and dies if you look at it wrong too.

 

Thanks for everyone help. I started my own tomatoes and peppers from seed last year so I'm some what familiar with the hardening off process. According to the seed to spoon app I should plant basil march 20-april 4th. Cilantro should be sown outside april 30-may 28. And dill is the exact same dates as cilantro. I didnt have the seed to spoon app till somebody on fb recommended it yesterday. Really cool app! So when I sow dill and cilantro outside can they take a freeze? Or do I need to move them inside if below freezing at night?

 

leave them outside. they will be fine, they are pretty hardy

 

I have started the seeds for rosemary (21 days to germinate), Chives (21), Catnip (?), Lemon mint and Taragon.

Oregano, Basil and whatever ever else I have I'll start April 15th.

Then outdoors in Early May, Lavender.

If you've got enough light and keep potting up they shoild beokay.

By the way, I do not have a cat but many of my friends do.