Herb Garden Advice (Pics included)

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[Rollin]

The basil and coriander will die eventually as they are annuals. Perhaps grow bay or sage instead. We have various types of mint in our garden and they spread like crazy, but don't mind being hacked back. I thought rocket was annual too. Ours has bolted in the recent hot weather. Can't beat fresh herbage though.

[Sheets Tabuer]

You need pots or build a raised herb bed, you can buy copper tape to put around the pots, slugs won't cross it.

Mint spreads like crazy and unless you like digging the bugger up from everywhere under the sun you'd be better putting it in a pot, rosemary will get massive and unchecked could be a huge bush in no time at all.

Basil is a magnet for greenfly so either buy it or spray it with pesticide, you'll need to leave it a while before you eat it.

Coriander is a pain in the arse because it bolts, it hates being moved so you need to sow it where you want to grow it.

Edited by Sheets Tabuer on Friday 1st June 23:47

[Sheets Tabuer]

Coriander is easy if you follow these rules.

If you move it it'll bolt.
If it gets too hot it will bolt.
if it doesn't get enough water it'll bolt.
If it sits in water it'll bolt.
If you walk past it in the garden it'll bolt.
If you make eye contact with it it'll bolt



Seriously though it likes a cool shady spot and if it does bolt just harvest the seed, they are delicious too.

[dotenv]

Rollin said:

Perhaps grow bay....

Be warned the natural state of bay is a 40' tree which leeches nutrients from the soil in a diameter roughly equivalent to its height. Plant out at your peril.

[Sheets Tabuer]

It's when a plant rushes to produce seed, It's sometimes a defence mechanism to produce the next generation before time is up for the plant.

A tasty plant like coriander has to try it's luck before some bugger eats it.

[bint]

Re; slugs, Gu glass pots filled with smart price lager etc is perfect for humanely killing them. They drown in it and you just empty on the compost.

I can never seem to grow coriander nowadays. When I was renting I had some in the garden there and it was like a weed, this garden however I'm not sure the sun is ever in the right place.

[stackmonkey]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Don't worry about the rosemary, mint, or chives. Slugs won't eat them once the plants are established.
As others have said, best keep the mint in its own pot.
Thyme likes some sun to give its best, as do chives.
Sage likes part shade, but can spread into quite a large bush fairly quickly.

[Mobile Chicane]

Sheets Tabuer said:

Coriander is easy if you follow these rules.

If you move it it'll bolt.
If it gets too hot it will bolt.
if it doesn't get enough water it'll bolt.
If it sits in water it'll bolt.
If you walk past it in the garden it'll bolt.
If you make eye contact with it it'll bolt



Seriously though it likes a cool shady spot and if it does bolt just harvest the seed, they are delicious too.

Coriander is best sown in rows at two-weekly intervals as a 'continuous crop'. One you've snipped the stalks, forget about getting more from that particular plant.

My method of organic slug control is to go out with a torch after dark, and snip all slugs I see in half with a pair of scissors. The birds will pick off the corpses in the morning.

[condor]

I have Basil growing in a pot that I bring indoors overnight - I had the impression from previous years growing that it was the snails eating it.
Rest of my herbs have been planted in large pots in previous years and get left outside - the chives get a bit tough after a few years so I've bought a new planting for this year...expect to keep it outside for another 3-4 years.

[RichB]

Typically herbs like poor soil and lots of sun. Our herb garden has (from memory as it's raining and I'm not going out there) 2 x Bay trees - standard in giant pots, sage (variegated and blue leaved), thyme, oregano, mint - both common and apple, fennel, rosemary, lovage, chives, lavender, basil, parsley (both planted in pots). Never feed it, never dig it just hand weed it and put the mower over it occasionally!