Herbs

The Mighty Quinn

We regularly buy those pots of herbs doing our grocery shopping, typically coriander and basil.

We use them up, and the plants are dead then, just stalks in a pot. I'm thinking I might just try plant a few in a box or pot outside at home.

But I don't know what will grow outside, or what if they can all be grown in one pot or if that causes problems etc.

Would like to grow some basil, thyme, rosemary, coriander, maybe mint but I had that planted in the ground before and it grew all over the place, was very difficult to get rid of it.

Am I best get some seeds, grow in tiny pots in a window at first and then transfer to a larger pot when they've sprouted, or just buy the pots in supermarket and plant them in a large pot

Citroen2cv

The Mighty Quinn wrote: »

We regularly buy those pots of herbs doing our grocery shopping, typically coriander and basil.

We use them up, and the plants are dead then, just stalks in a pot. I'm thinking I might just try plant a few in a box or pot outside at home.

But I don't know what will grow outside, or what if they can all be grown in one pot or if that causes problems etc.

Would like to grow some basil, thyme, rosemary, coriander, maybe mint but I had that planted in the ground before and it grew all over the place, was very difficult to get rid of it.

Am I best get some seeds, grow in tiny pots in a window at first and then transfer to a larger pot when they've sprouted, or just buy the pots in supermarket and plant them in a large pot

Easier to buy the plants from supermarket and keep them on a windowsill. I planted basil outside and some sort of pest ate them so keeping them inside from now on. My outdoor coriander bolted with the few sunny days, so going to move that to a shadier spot.

IndigoStar

The Mighty Quinn wrote: »

We regularly buy those pots of herbs doing our grocery shopping, typically coriander and basil.

We use them up, and the plants are dead then, just stalks in a pot. I'm thinking I might just try plant a few in a box or pot outside at home.

But I don't know what will grow outside, or what if they can all be grown in one pot or if that causes problems etc.

Would like to grow some basil, thyme, rosemary, coriander, maybe mint but I had that planted in the ground before and it grew all over the place, was very difficult to get rid of it.

Mint is very invasive, best to confine it to a pot.

Basil grows better indoors or in a greenhouse in this climate. The pots you buy in the supermarket have lots of small basil plants all crowded in together so they don't survive too long, I've separated them and repotted them in the past with some success. The same with coriander.

Rosemary and Thyme need good drainage. Whether you are putting them in the ground or pot put a handful or two of gravel in the bottom of the hole so the roots are never sitting in water. Mediterranean herbs don't like their feet wet! Best of luck

Garlinge

You could get sage, rosemary and thyme as proper shrub plants in a garden centre. They will over winter but not the basil and coriander. Parsley will last two years with care but those last three and mint can be bought as small pots in supermarkets. Most herbs like sunny dry conditions but not mint. I have mint in a corner of two paths and it pulls up easy when it travels thru the raspberry patch nearby.

ellee

I have a giant rosemary bush outside that could care less about the clay soil. I think I bought a small plant from a garden centre/nursery.

Have oregano in a huge pot outside. Seems v easy to grow.

This summer I culled half the oregano and planted sage and savoury. Hopefully they will survive. Again I bought from a garden centre. Chives do great outside as well, but the local kids scoffed all mine.

I also have coriander in a pot on the windowsill doing pretty well. It’s the thirstiest plant I’ve met yet. It’s from a supermarket, I should probably thin it out.

I’ve had no joy with flat leafed parsley but my mother has loads of the curly parsley growing outside. The thyme also seemed to die out on me. It was in with the oregano.

Mint needs a pot by itself, I learned that the hard way!

I always buy plants. Just seems easier and quicker than seeds.

New Home

This is the first year I've actually manage to have basil survive on me, it used to either rot away or just turn brown and die, but this year it's glorious and it's so full of essential oils it nearly burns your mouth if you eat a leaf on its own. I came across this video and followed it (except for the heat lamp, which I don't have, but I've a south-facing windowsill). I'll post a pic tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byoEBdVoVpM

Garlinge

Forget to mention chives! It grows well likes a damp spot if possible. I have a patch now in same place over 20 yrs just cut stems as needed. Dies back in winter. Flowers are pretty too and some use in salads/food garnish as well. It not bothered by slugs etc . I have some class of a weed growing thru it that I cant get rid of.... even dug up clump to clear it out but back again..

GrumpyMe

New Home wrote: »

This is the first year I've actually manage to have basil survive on me, it used to either rot away or just turn brown and die, but this year it's glorious and it's so full of essential oils it nearly burns your mouth if you eat a leaf on its own. I came across this video and followed it (except for the heat lamp, which I don't have, but I've a south-facing windowsill). I'll post a pic tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byoEBdVoVpM

Water from below only!

New Home

I've been watering from the top, no problems. I did repot it very early on, though.

Dial Hard

Just on coriander, it doesn't regrow once it's been cut like other herbs, so once it's gone, it's gone. If you want a good crop, buy a good few plants, plant them together in a huge pot or tub and use half for harvest and let the rest go to seed, it'll regrow next year if you "rotovate" the soil in the pot in spring and add a bit of mulch/compost.

GrumpyMe

never could get "supermarket" basil to last more than a week or so until I saw a recommendation to water from below and now it takes me ages to kill them!

pwurple

Split the basil. There are at least ten plant jammed into a pot. Once you split it into multiple pots, and keep cutting it back, it lasts a whole summer outdoors for me.

Treepole

Dial Hard wrote: »

Just on coriander, it doesn't regrow once it's been cut like other herbs, so once it's gone, it's gone. If you want a good crop, buy a good few plants, plant them together in a huge pot or tub and use half for harvest and let the rest go to seed, it'll regrow next year if you "rotovate" the soil in the pot in spring and add a bit of mulch/compost.

Interesting.
This year as an experiment I've taken to planting out my shop bought coriander (twice) and parsley (once) plants once they've become tired and almost finished on the window sill and they've coming booming back life in the garden and grown back into full plants again.