Planting herbs tips?

Michiyo-Fir

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#1
I've been contemplating growing my own fresh herbs at home as I use quite a variety very very frequently in my cooking. Usually I pay $3 for a tiny bunch in stores and I find myself buying these from week to week which really adds up!

Anyone have tips for growing at home? I've never grown anything or gardened before. For example what kinds of soil, temperature, fertilizing?, which season to plant, maintenance?

Or alternatively if anyone has any good online resources for growing herbs I would really appreciate it!
 

smkie

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#2
I follow a few sites on facebook. Farmacy I learn a ton from and has improved my ailing health some. Organic gardening, baker's creek, and one other, I will go look up. All have a wealth of information on growing and using herbs.
 
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#3
Each herb is going to have slightly different preferences but in general they like full sun and well drained soil. They tend to be pretty easy to grow in containers as well and some can be coaxed through winter indoors sometimes. They tend to be pretty hardy and easy to grow which is helpful as well.
 
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#4
I use regular garden soil in a flower bed outside. Nothing special. I don't fertilize. I will usually plant in late spring/ early summer. Pretty much when nurseries start selling them. Chives, scallions, lavender, thyme, mint, oregano, tarragon, bay, fennel, and sage are perennial and survive the NH winter. Rosemary usually wont survive the winter so I keep it in a container outside and bring it in in the winter. I buy basil every year and keep it in a container as well, but I haven't had luck keeping it alive inside.

You need to keep them watered when first planting so they can get established. Once they are established I only water on really hot days.

There's really not much maintenance with them. The only plant I trim back during the summer is the oregano because it gets so huge that it will take over the garden. I'm not gentle with it either. I hack it right off to the stems. I also cut back the chive and scallion before winter.
 

Romy

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#5
Rosemary is a good one to start with, as it's very hardy and perennial. If you get several plants of the right variety you can actually grow a rosemary hedge. It's pretty awesome.

What kinds do you use the most? I suggest planting way more than you think you'll need. If you use a lot of basil, plant a LOT of it. It takes an entire plant to make one serving of pesto. On the other hand if you're just pinching off a bit of thyme or something here and there, you might not need as much. But plants die, especially if you're starting from seed you'll lose some. By planting extra the worst case scenario is your yard will smell awesome and you'll have some to share. :)

If you do start from seed, those clear plastic containers you buy donuts and pastries in make excellent little starter greenhouses to keep the sprouts from drying out until the get their first set of adult leaves and have something in the way of roots.
 
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#6
What area are you in? That is going to be important for which herbs are annuals vs perennials, if they need more shade than usual, etc. I am in St. Louis and rosemary for example is a tender perennial. It USUALLY makes it overwinter with some protection, but if we have a colder winter it dies. Some herbs cant handle rainy areas as well, others are not drought tolerant, etc.
 

milos_mommy

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Herbs are fairly easy! You can grow them easily indoors (like right in your kitchen!) if you have a sunny window! Some herbs like mint and errrr, mint like shade (most need partial-full sun).

Starting seeds is pretty simple! Mix potting mix and peat moss, follow directions on the seed packet (any time of year for indoors)! Keep it quite damp on top for the first week or two and then just water enough so the top bit of soil gets to dry out!
 
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#8
Romy's pesto is bigger than mine! For one or two people you can cut the plant down pretty low and it will grow back. I was making 1/6th of a Pesto recipe and it matched well with a pound of pasta. I only did it about 3x over the summer though while also pinching off a few leaves per week.

My parsley died back a bit when we got in the lower 20s here, but its regrowing now. Being related to carrots, it will probably try and flower this summer. That family lives for 2 years.

Rosemary might be the most common shrub in Portland.
 

Stingr69

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#9
Buy small plants at the Home Depot. Much faster than seeds.

Rosemary is a evergreen shrub so it will be good place to begin. It can tolerate a lot of cold but it can be killed during a very hard winter.

Basil is best to buy a single small plant every year. You may get new plants the following year from the seeds that drop. Remove the flower/seed heads right away as they appear or it will bolt on you.

Oregano is real good. Might make it through winter.

Flat parsley pretty much gets ripped out and replanted every year. Second year will grow but is not as good.

Thyme is good and can make it through a mild winter.

Sage is a good grower. No issues there.

Tarragon is great but it can be a very invasive plant. Spreads underground and comes back every year. Good to have but try to keep it in check or it will take over. Just keep hacking it back.

Chives come back every year like a weed. They can spread a little.

Cilantro needs to be replanted several times during the season. It will produce until it starts to bolt, then it is finished and you need a new plant. I have a packet of seeds and keep starting new ones every few weeks so I am ready for the next round.

Not an expert here, just from my experience. Your results may vary. :)
 

Michiyo-Fir

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#10
What kinds do you use the most? I suggest planting way more than you think you'll need. If you use a lot of basil, plant a LOT of it. It takes an entire plant to make one serving of pesto. On the other hand if you're just pinching off a bit of thyme or something here and there, you might not need as much. But plants die, especially if you're starting from seed you'll lose some. By planting extra the worst case scenario is your yard will smell awesome and you'll have some to share. :)
I use rosemary, thyme, basil and Italian parsley the most. I plan to plant a lot of those if possible.

What area are you in? That is going to be important for which herbs are annuals vs perennials, if they need more shade than usual, etc. I am in St. Louis and rosemary for example is a tender perennial. It USUALLY makes it overwinter with some protection, but if we have a colder winter it dies. Some herbs cant handle rainy areas as well, others are not drought tolerant, etc.
I'm in Vancouver Canada. It's not cold here much at all. However, I don't have the ability to plant in my yard because it's tended by the property management folk, and they pluck out anything we plant. We live in a managed townhouse. I plan either to put the plants in my kitchen or somewhere else in my house.
 

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