Planting Herbs

watna

Hi all,

I've done a bit of a thread search in this forum and have found some very helpful advice on herb gardens or window boxes. I'm looking to plant my own herbs as I'm sick of buying fresh herbs and for them to go to waste and the cost also adds up.

The threads I've found were really interesting but when it comes to gardening I know absolutely nothing - and I mean nothing at all. This thread was very helpful http://wwe.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055234623&highlight=herb&page=2 but I think most people have a knowledge of gardening in it so I'm a bit lost with some of it.

I'm living in a flat at the moment and we do have access to a garden but I don't want to plant a herb garden as we share the garden and if we move I won't be able to take it with me. As Wellington is so hilly we live on the top of a hill and our house is kind of sunken a bit (if that makes sense), if I plant herbs in a window box (and in my complete gardening virginity I don't know if these go inside or outside the window) the plants won't get much light. I've seen some people here get plastic crates (like the ones you use to store stuff in) and have planted things in them and moved them to a good spot in the garden. Is that a possibility? Also, I'm presuming Spring is the best time to plant things? It's geting towards the end of spring here now.

Basically, I know absolutely nothing but would love to plant some herbs. Some very basic (and dumbed down) advice would be appreciated. I really haven't a clue, I don't even know how to plant things or what you'd need for it!

The Sweeper

Watna

If you have outdoor access to a communal garden, and you could leave plant pots outside in good faith without your neighbours nicking them or getting annoyed that they're in the way, I'd steer you towards using containers (plant pots) to plant outdoors.
You're heading into summer right now, so this is a good time for you to be planting. If you're a total novice gardener, I would not recommend growing herbs from seed.

Pick the herbs you want - personally I'd start off with parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil and sage for a nice range to assist in the kitchen.

Parsley is a biennial and basil is an annual. A biennial takes up to two years to complete its lifecycle, and an annual lasts for one year, then goes to seed and starts over. Both of these herbs are fast growers, but when they go to seed they put all of their energy into reproducing so the leaves you want to use become crappy and spent.

Seeding can be delayed by pinching off the tips of the plant. You'll see when a plant is starting to go to seed, because the tips of stalks get 'busy' - instead of two new leaves, they'll look like they have a dozen leaves in a tiny space, possibly a flower bud - a lot going on. Pinch these tips out by literally pinching your thumb and forefinger on the tip and picking it off the plant. Pinch them out as soon as you see them start to appear.

Rosemary, sage and thyme are perennial plants, meaning their lifecycle lasts for more than two years. All three are good container herbs - you pot them up and leave them alone and they'll thrive.

Go to your local garden centre (Bunnings near you?) and head to the herb section. All of the herbs I've listed above will be on sale in small pots, and some of the perennials may even be in larger pots. Some will be tubestock or seedling sized, meaning the plant is very tiny, so you need to be careful when you pot them up.

When you buy your herbs, depending on the size of them, some will need to be potted into a larger pot immediately. (Look under the pot you're buying - are there roots showing through? If roots are showing you will need to pot into a larger container. If the plant appears disproportionately large relative to the container, water it well when you get it home and after a bit of soakage, gently dislodge it from the pot to take a closer look at the root system - some newer pots are designed with drainage systems that don't show that the root system is desperate for more space.)

Most of the herbs I have listed are mediterranean in origin, so they thrive in poor soils. I would buy the cheapest bag of potting mix on the market - you'll see they have ranges, going from specialist potting mixes for camellias and azaleas through mixtures with slow-release fertilers and rewetting agents - you want the crappiest, cheapest bag they have in stock.

The cheapest plastic pots on the market will be black plastic ones. If you don't want to buy these, see if you can scrounge some from a friend or relative or a local charity shop. Black plastic pots can make the roots of a plant very hot in the summer, so keep this in mind when choosing a pot (I plant everything I own into black pots, but they then sit into straw that's piled up to the lip of the pot and over it as mulch to help water retention).

If you like the more attractive teracotta and ceramic pots, buy them but don't pot directly into them. Pot up into a plastic container that's smaller than the ceramic pot. Place the plastic pot inside the ceramic and then fill up the gap between with something like bark chippings that you then bring over the surface of the soil, up to the stem of your plant.

In Aussie dollars, the potting mix would be $5-6, the herbs would range from $3.50 for tube stock up to $10 for a mature rosemary bush, for instance - I'll leave you to do the conversions yourself.

This is turning into war n peace, so I'll stop there and I can answer anything more specific if you want?

watna

Thanks MAJD. You're also so good (it was completely at the right level - i.e. gardening noob). I'm having enough planting them in pots in the garen. If my neighbour steals them I'll steal their eggs! We actually already have a rosemary bush outside the window and I've been harvesting from it recently so I'll have them down that area of the garden.

I think a trip to Bunnings is in order this weekend. I think the info so far is great to get started. Be warned, I probably will come back and ask more!

The Sweeper

No worries. I currently have both pink and blue flowering rosemary on the go, sage, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon balm, thai basil, sweet basil, parsley, common mint, vietnamese hot mint and oregano. It's all in pots, waiting for us to move house - some of the rosemary is propagated from bushes in the back garden. I'm currently working on parsley, thyme and oregano from seed, but it's fiddly and I'm not sure if I'm going to have much success.

Also a nice addition is lavender - English or French (English smells better, French looks nicer). That will definitely last until you move and it's very pleasant to put in amongst your clothes and so on.

watna

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

No worries. I currently have both pink and blue flowering rosemary on the go, sage, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon balm, thai basil, sweet basil, parsley, common mint, vietnamese hot mint and oregano. It's all in pots, waiting for us to move house - some of the rosemary is propagated from bushes in the back garden. I'm currently working on parsley, thyme and oregano from seed, but it's fiddly and I'm not sure if I'm going to have much success.

Also a nice addition is lavender - English or French (English smells better, French looks nicer). That will definitely last until you move and it's very pleasant to put in amongst your clothes and so on.

We actually have a lovely big lavendar bush under our window too. It's so handy to have. I made little lavendar scent bags for my drawers!