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Herbs are easy to grow and look fantastic, so why not create your own container
herb garden. Whether it’s a window box, pots along the kitchen window sill or a
few pots by the back door you will soon discover that herbs can be grown
successfully in containers. You will be able to pick your own fresh herbs to
add to your dishes, which far surpasses the flavour that pre-packed dried herbs
offer.
You can use almost any container for growing herbs
as long as it provides drainage, so punch out drainage holes if it has none.
Plastic or glazed pots are best for indoor herbs as they retain the moisture in
the soil better.
Make sure the containers are clean. Place a
layer of gravel at the base of your pots to improve drainage and fill with seed
and cutting potting compost. You can add some horticultural sand to the compost
to improve drainage even further. Fill your containers with either herbs grown
from seed, propagated from cuttings or bought from a garden centre.
Selecting herbs
So which herbs should you grow? It sounds obvious
but if growing herbs for culinary purposes then select the herbs that you will
want to use to flavour your dishes. Alternatively you can select herb varieties
for their decorative foliage or scent.
There are three types of herbs; annuals, biennials
and perennials. Annuals live only for one year and will flower and develop
seeds from which new plants will grow the following year and include basil,
borage, chamomile, chervil, coriander, dill, fennel and summer savory .Some
herbs (caraway and parsley) are biennials; flowering and developing seeds in
their second year. Perennial herbs such as bay, chives, lavender, lemon grass,
lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme and winter savoury
last for several years.
The most common herbs that are grown are basil,
chives, coriander, dill, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary and sage. However
there are many more varieties to grow. You
may decide to group some herbs together in a single container, but select
complimentary varieties that will not outgrow their positions or compete with
each other. Some woody herbs such as rosemary or lavender can become
thugs to the detriment of surrounding plants. Perennial herbs such as lemon
balm or mint are often grown alone in containers as they need to be controlled
to prevent them from taking over your garden border.
You can sow most herbs from seed in
spring from March - April. Alternatively you can propagate herbs by
taking cuttings. You can propagate your herbs by taking cuttings of bay,
marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme from late summer to early
autumn. Herbs such as sweet marjoram, oregano, mint and thyme can be divided in
the spring or after flowering in late summer. At the end of the season pot up
herbs such as chives, mint, parsley, or tarragon and bring them in to a south
facing windowsill for the winter.
Gradually acclimatise them to more shady conditions for a few weeks before
you bring them inside to avoid shock as conditions inside will be much less
bright.
Maintenance
Many herbs originate in the Mediterranean so they like warm and light
conditions. However some, such as
parsley, basil or chervil, will appreciate a little shade in the hottest part
of the day. Water your herbs sparingly, only
when the soil is dry. Feed herbs with a general purpose fertiliser weekly
during the growing season. You may need
to control the pests and treat with a spray insecticide or insecticidal
soap weekly.
Photos care of outdoorlivingchicagoland.com, thedailygreen.com, ukhandmade.co.uk, blog.designsquish.com
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