Growning herbs

irishguy

Can anyone recommend how to grow herbs successfully, such as basil, rosemary, sage. Would I need a polly tunnel type thing?

garr23

I grow mine on a south-facing windowsill in the kitchen and, if short on space, some more in the porch or greenhouse. Its good to have them in the kitchen though, they're right there ready to use.

Antiquo

irishguy wrote: »

Can anyone recommend how to grow herbs successfully, such as basil, rosemary, sage. Would I need a polly tunnel type thing?

Basil bit of a softie in winter but a plant in a south facing location will do fine without poly tunnel, etc. Rosemary and Sage are like weeds once they get a foot hold so no problem growing these either.

Preferably South facing dig over, remove any weeds inc roots, add compost put the plants in and pick as required. Always handy to pick a spot close to the house for herbs and add a few every year.

irishguy

I tried basil inside and it keeps dying. I dont really have a south facing part of the garden (as its quite small) so thats why I was thinking of a small poly tunnel. Would it grow better in one? Also I have a dog so it would protect it from her too...

Antiquo

irishguy wrote: »

I tried basil inside and it keeps dying. I dont really have a south facing part of the garden (as its quite small) so thats why I was thinking of a small poly tunnel. Would it grow better in one? Also I have a dog so it would protect it from her too...

Sorry misleading with the South facing comment I pulled that from the previous poster and not direclty from your post or circumstance.

Basil will grow outside and does not have to have a south facing aspect although this would be ideal.

I have dogs and they know where they are and specifically where they are not allowed a bit of patience and training is better than any fence.

Which way does your garden face?

Do you have an area that you could make a raised bed in?

A small cloche or similar will help earlier in the year but Basil will grow in our climate given a decent soil and some degree of sunlight.

Honey-ec

irishguy wrote: »

I tried basil inside and it keeps dying.

Did you grow it from seed or buy those little pots of it in the supermarket? If it was the pots, I'm not surprised, they're generally woejus, spindly specimens. Try growing it from seed, you'll probably have much better luck. I usually start mine indoors, keep repotting it as it grows and by the late summer I have it in large terracotta pots in the sunniest spot in the garden. I do bring it back inside in late autumn, though.

Rosemary I do think you're better off buying as an established plant from a decent garden centre. Definitely doesn't need a polytunnel.

I'm literally only on my first ever sage plant, so I can't really give you any advice there, but mine is in a pot on the kitchen windowsill (north facing) and it's doing grand, will need repotting very shortly.

goat2

buy a very big pot, in may, put parsley, shallots, sage and thyme in it, that is what i have done and i still have these plants 3 yrs later, i say the big pot, because when winter come you can put it in a sheltered but place the sun shines during the winter, so they will not die of frost, i have a bay, love using leaves of that for stews an soups, puts a beautiful extra to them, i also have a few garlics stuck in pot, so when i get stuck for garlic i can have that, just split a bulb and stick down around plants try anything and everything, but make sure you water during summer, and feed from may on to aug, good luck

MASTER...of the bra

I grew parsley, sage, thyme, basil, dill, mint, chives, borage, coriander (horrible) and a few others:o great for stuffing(Tesco had just got the seeds in so I said what the hell) indoors last year. Had them all over the place, fierce strong smell of rosemary when you walk into closed room first thing in the morning.

They all grew well except for Parsley, though it flew when I stuck it out in the flower bed and the basil which the greenfly ate.:(

I wouldn't feed them myself, use a really good compost and regrow every year.