Herbs

tina1040

I have some pots screwed onto a south facing fence. I want to make aplan to grow herbs in them this spring.

Which herbs are reliable for beginners and when should I buy plants? Are seeds better?

CelticRambler

If you're growing them in suspended pots, you'd be best to think about herbs that don't tend to get big and bushy; and it's not so much the herbs that are reliable but the person looking after them! As with any plant in a pot, the key factor will be watering. Some herbs, such as chives, mint, basil and parsley, will need frequent watering (basil grows well from seed, parsley can be temperamental); whereas the classic Provençal herbs such as thyme, rosemary and lavender are very drought tolerant (thyme grows well from seed and stays small; for a beginner, rosemary and lavender are best bought as established plants - but be prepared to move them to a new, ground-level, location after a couple of years).

LaChatteGitane

What celticrambler says.
And to add, herbs like basil or coriander don't do very well in the hot sun.

onedmc

I grow from seed mostly except for the stick ones like Rosmary.

I find Parsley is easy and there are a number of variaties to choose from. Replant every 2 years
Origanio easy to grow and nice to use, replant every 2 years but can keep going
Mint and sage just keep growing and spread spread so pots are great, cant go wrong. Mint great in drinks.

Thyme is a lovely herb really useful in meats. Turns to sticks in year 2, loads of interesting varities out there.
Rosmary is a bush so not great in pots as can get big but works all year round.

I find Basil is very hit and miss and really should be grown indoor in ireland. Ive started a few varities in the propagator to see if I can get reliability.

I still havnt mastered corriander and trying cumen for the firts time, like the basil in a lit and heater propagator.

Calvin001

going to sow herbs this year only, just wondering if they should be sown in pots or direct in a bed?
sowd mint last year and it looks like its going to spread everywhere, if i dont cut the runners back.

CelticRambler

Do you mean sown in pots to get them started, or to keep them that way? The bigger, bushier ones will always do better/be easier to manage (esp. re water/feeding) if they're planted in the ground. Others, like mint, can be easier to control by keeping them in pots. Between those two extremes ... it depends. I've moved a lot of my herbs from the ground into pots in the last year, but only because I'm completely renovating my herb garden. However, if the work goes according plan, I'll be putting most of them back in the ground later in the spring. I've sown basil, thyme, parsley and coriander in pots to get them started, but will move those into beds afterwards aswell. It's a handy way to get a head-start, and to avoid the seedlings being eaten by slugs.