I have decided to create an herb garden in all my "weird cups, bowls, containers" to place on my window sills. I end up with a bowl that came from. . . well who knows where! Cannot bare to throw it out, no one ever buys it at a yardsale. . . so I decided to grow herbs in them. Now when I have a yard sale this summer, I can sell the herbs and get rid of the bowls!!!
Hey, Joanna, I'll have to come up to NH to get one of your herbal yard-sale pots! I'm a late-comer to the conversation, but usually in the summer, I have so many herbs!!! I pluck and freeze the leaves while they are abundant. Before it's time to cut down the plants before frost, I dig up a little from the roots and keep it on the windowsill. Sometimes in the spring, I find some surprises that come back - unexpectantly! :-) I just love the smell of herbs! ---L
earth mama
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Anna
Hendersonville
TN
USA
39 Posts
Posted - Feb 14 2011 : 9:16:34 PM
Okay, so my biggest challenge(s) so far are Cilantro (it bolts way too fast, I hardly get a chance to use it) and Rosemary because it won't over-winter :-P I think I'll try Kathy Jane's suggestion this year and see if it helps at all. It always looks like it's going to make it, and then it dies off late January... so sad... But I love my herbs otherwise! So much fun.
Hey Lisa, stop on by, I'll set you up with your "herb garden in a cup"!! I have heard many folks freeze their herbs. . . have to confess, I have never done that. Since I have a dehydrator, it's super easy to dry them just right and store them in canning jars.
Hi Anna, Cilantro is on my list of herbs to try this year. . . guess I am in for another challenge! Seems like wintering over rosemary is tough for many of us. There was a book I read, which I cannot remember the title of, that told of Martha Washington coming up with a solution to her herb and rose challenges of not making the winter.
She was a pretty smart woman, she marked out her garden size then had it dug down 4 feet. Around the edge of the garden she had a stone wall built 3 feet high with an nice garden gate for the entrance. She planted the roses on the side with the most sun and everything else accordingly. In the late fall she "bedded down" the entire garden with straw or hay. . . filling it up to the bottom of the stonewall. When spring arrived, they removed the hay and found her garden had survived the brutal winter!
We moved here 3 years ago & the 1 st summer I planted only a few herbs: lime basil, lambs quarter, this year since i will be by myself while my husband is in Afghanistan have decided to put in one full garden of different herbs i use & like...i have decided also to give the big garden to the chickens this year by planting lots of lettuces & greens for them in it with 1 tomato plant for me...plus this area also has the lambs quarter that should come back up, that I eat when young then let grow wild to feed the chickens. I am planting rosemary for sure & lavender...which I love but can't have in the house gives me migraines but outside or dried in containers I am good, plus its so pretty. Definitely will do the lime basil again, love that. think I will go with some more medical type herbs...I live in Massachusetts any of you have an good idea's of what I should grow? Love to hear from you....Michele'
Decided to challenge my herb growing this year. I am good at some things and bad at others. . . so I am trying to grow all the herbs I use in my kitchen on a regular basis. My challenge? Basil, it never makes it to maturity. . I either over water or something else happens to it. So this year I am bound and determined to "grow my own" !!
How about you? What herb is a challenge for you? Are you willing to give it another try? Let me know!
Joanna #566
I always plant my basil with my tomatoes. It keeps the hornworms away, and they grow well together. Our summers get very hot, the tomatoes shade the basil :).
I can't get my lavender to grow...at all!!! I have a decent sized herb part of my huge and still growing garden..Im very new with the herbs and the veggie garden is only a few years old, but Im learning as I go!! any advice would be greatly cherished..Thanks Ladies
Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves,for they shall never cease to be amused:)
Often, lavender is getting soil that is too rich. My lavender has been in the same huge pot with sandy soil for the last 4 years. You should also cut it back extremely. It looks sad at first, but it comes back with vigor. I remember driving through the mountains in Greece, and seeing beautiful lavender plants growing on the mountainside, in rocks. That is a lesson to me :). Same goes for thyme.
Good luck!!
Heike
quote:Originally posted by barefootmama
I can't get my lavender to grow...at all!!! I have a decent sized herb part of my huge and still growing garden..Im very new with the herbs and the veggie garden is only a few years old, but Im learning as I go!! any advice would be greatly cherished..Thanks Ladies
Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves,for they shall never cease to be amused:)
That is a good point, if you look where herbs naturally grow, you will find they don't like "rich" soil. Herbs are happy growing in less than perfect soil conditions. . . I am always amazed at how Chamomile grows on our sandy, rocky driveway. . . it just thrives there!
earth mama
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Anna
Hendersonville
TN
USA
39 Posts
Posted - Feb 19 2011 : 1:12:43 PM
quote:Originally posted by JojoNH
She was a pretty smart woman, she marked out her garden size then had it dug down 4 feet. Around the edge of the garden she had a stone wall built 3 feet high with an nice garden gate for the entrance. She planted the roses on the side with the most sun and everything else accordingly. In the late fall she "bedded down" the entire garden with straw or hay. . . filling it up to the bottom of the stonewall. When spring arrived, they removed the hay and found her garden had survived the brutal winter!
Love that! and the stone wall idea too, though I think my beds are too spread out for it the way I've got them set up... I've done the square foot gardening thing with raised beds because our soil is so poor (read clay!) and that mix he recommended seems to work quite well for most herbs.
earth mama
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Anna
Hendersonville
TN
USA
39 Posts
Posted - Feb 19 2011 : 1:16:18 PM
quote:Originally posted by barefootmama
I can't get my lavender to grow...at all!!! I have a decent sized herb part of my huge and still growing garden..Im very new with the herbs and the veggie garden is only a few years old, but Im learning as I go!! any advice would be greatly cherished..Thanks Ladies
I planted mine two springs ago in Mel's Mix from the All New Square Foot Gardening book, basically 1/3 vermiculite 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 blended compost. It did nothing but sit there the first year, started growing around fall. I wasn't sure if it was going to make it or not through the winter, but it did. Come spring, I tried to add some compost around it, but it was hard to get to the dirt as the plant had grown enough in the fall to make it hard to get to. Then it went nuts last year, both plants more than doubling in size, so I think it does like slightly less rich soil, and less intervention... It stayed healthier looking through the winter too.
Hello to Everyone! Thanks so much for starting this thread Joanna. I'm hoping to learn how to winter my rosemary and lemon verbena. No matter what variety I attempt, even with heavy mulching, they die. It's so aggravating! My oregano, lemon balm, and chocolate mint winters over with no problem. My nephew's uncle-in-law, who lives about 30 miles north of us, has a rosemary bush that he has wintered over for the past 12 years. He has to prune it back twice a year because of it's size, and they brought me a pruned branch. The 'twig', they so called it, was as big as my thumb! Unfortunately the branch was dead. I've put in a request for a clipping that I'm hoping to root. Other than planting basil among the tomatoes, what other herbs among the vegetables does anyone else plant? I planted cilantro with my peppers, both bell and hot peppers. I don't know if this is recommended in any book but they both did great for me.
earth mama
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Anna
Hendersonville
TN
USA
39 Posts
Posted - Mar 04 2011 : 9:33:02 PM
Andrea, I'm in TN too... if you figure out what kind of rosemary that is, will you let me know? Or tell me more about what he does? I can't get mine to overwinter either :-P
We live on the family farm (Honey Acres) where my husband grew up. It is a wonderful place and we have decided to turn it back into a working farm. Both my in-laws have passed away and we thought it would be a great idea to dedicate the "secret" garden in memory of them, in particular my Mother-in-law. She had started the secret garden but did not complete it. My husband and I thought it would be a great idea to incorporate herbs in the garden along with a meditation area. Any ideas? There is a curvy brick walkway with flower beds behind it. I am thinking about removing the heavy shrubs and replace with lighter flowers, herbs, etc. I will upload pictures of the secret garden by the end of March 11th week on my blog, blogger.com/HoneyAcresFarm; any interest is appreciated.
Here is the funny thing about my herb garden.. Everything that should not survive in an upstate New York climate seems to get along just fine but things that should NEVER die always do. Example- The lavender always comes back but the Cat Nip never does. Cat nip is a WEED for crying out loud!! It's like saying you can't get dandelions to grow, lol! The cat nip grows up in the lawn all over the property but every time I transplant it into the garden it grows wonderfully all summer but never comes back in the spring.
I love my herb garden. It is the best part of the spring for me to be able to go out there and see all of the plants coming back to life. The mints are my favorite.
Carrie ~ New Farmgirl #2435 Maybe I'd be happy to let it all go and dedicate my life to making jelly molds, Learn to cook, learn to sew..I'm a happy homemaker" ~ Melanie Doane
LOL!! You are so right!! I have found that a well tended garden is not the best spot for herbs. . . they love to be where there is a challenge to living and they do it with such gusto!!
Just got my herb seeds in the mail today...am so excited...I got Allheal,motherswort for the first time...i also got penny royal& wormwood for the chickens for internal worms....chamomile,echinacea, feverfew, horehound & marshmallow. plus so,e flowers, sugar beets, bayberry & wintergreen...so I should have fun this spring ...Michele'
Don't you just love it when they arrive!! I am excited for you, bet you cannot wait until spring is officially here! For us it is still a long way off. If we are lucky the ground will be thawed in time for the June planting. . however, I am starting a container garden for my front porch. So at least I can start several things inside and then when the weather finally cooperates, move them out onto the porch.
Let me know how you do with all your new herbs. . . I am always curious how each person does with theirs. . even if it ends up not being successful, we can all share what we did in hopes of figuring it all out.
I always wanted to start a herb garden...Where do I start? God knows I don't have a green thumb so I have always steered away from growing things. I really want to try and see how it goes.
Hi Fannie, Well, I always recommend to start with mint. . . purchase a plant or two from your local nursery and plant it in a container. Mint is very invasive if not properly attended in your garden. . . although for me, that's not a bad thing With mint there are endless possibilities for it's use from teas, jellies, flavorings to sachets, nosegays and more. Once your doing well with mints ( did I mention there are more than just Peppermint and Spearmint? You are in for a world of fun, there are plants called "chocolate mint" and more!) You will find your ready to experiment with more herbs. Some of my favorites in the garden that basically take care of themselves are catnip, oregano, all thymes, and marjoram. Simply dig a hole, stick them in, water as needed and within a month or two you will be harvesting fresh herbs!!
Oh! Me too. Thats my goal this year is to try planting herbs. I make goat milk soap and love to grow my own as well. But one question I have is how do you keep you herbs so..green while drying the herbs out?
I Thessalonians 5:16,17 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I'd like to have an herb garden or at least grow some herbs like basil and cilantro for sure and some mint. BUT I have a problem that no one has yet mentioned here....... I have cats and strays that come by. I can grow them in the containers but sometimes they jump into my pots too.
They are leaving the rosemary alone.
So let's see if anyone has any recommendations for me!
2011 Herb Challenge
Posted - Feb 05 2011 : 1:35:37 PM
Hey Lisa, stop on by, I'll set you up with your "herb garden in a cup"!! I have heard many folks freeze their herbs. . . have to confess, I have never done that. Since I have a dehydrator, it's super easy to dry them just right and store them in canning jars. 
If we are lucky the ground will be thawed in time for the June planting. . however, I am starting a container garden for my front porch. So at least I can start several things inside and then when the weather finally cooperates, move them out onto the porch.