Do You Grow Your Own Herbs?

[Spiritwolf]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

I don't understand why any cook doesn't. Herbs are easy to grow, do not take up much room, and lend themselves to containerized growing.

So I'm wondering: Do you grow your own? And if so, which herbs do you grow yourself?

I always grow my own herbs, they are the best, I am growing at the moment: Basil,Parsley(both curley and Italian ), Chives, and Rosemary and lavender ( if thats a herb ), but I love it anyway. It all tastes better when Home grown.

[Doughgirl]

Recently I bought a package of chive seeds, just for something to start off with. Today, I potted them and put them on the window. If they start to grow, heh :P, I'll put them outside in a bigger pot on my patio. Then, I'll try to grow other herbs.

[KYHeirloomer]

Welcome to ChefTalk, Doughgirl.

Don't be disappointed if those chives don't grow. Alliums are difficult to start from seed, in the first place. And perennial alliums usually are fall-planted, as they are the earliest things to come up in the fall.

When starting alliums from seed, you usually do so indoors, under lights, about two months before transplanting time---which itself can be as much as 6 weeks before last frost. For instance, down here in Kentucky, I set onion seed in January, for a March transplant.

If possible, I would see if I could find an already potted start of chives, and use that instead. Meanwhile, you can start thinking about summer herbs, such as basil, which is much easier to start from seed.

[Doughgirl]

I wouldn't be able to plant my seeds outside yet anyway. There's still snow up to my knees in my garden. Plus, we're building a new house soon. So once we get settled there, or if I move out on my own, I'll start a little herb garden. Thanks for the info though!

[RPMcMurphy]

Just planted my herbs inside from seeds....thyme sprouting already. Weather in NJ is not ready for outside but as soon as my starters are ready to be replanted should be about the same time I can move them outside. I'll still keep a pot or 3 in the kitchen though but the rest will go on a cart outside.

I do one of those "50" little peat pots things to start.

usually ~4 of each herb.

[bluedogz]

Now that weather is breaking here in MD and I've cleared the garden, it turns out my thyme overwintered with no ill effect at all! And the mint, chives, oregano, and tarragon that I thought had been obliterated in our 100 deg. heat wave last year are poking their heads up. I even yanked up the (I thought) dead marjoram and found a root ball full of sprouts!

[sankum]

I wud love to but we do not have place in the apartment where we live in But back in India (My native) We have a garden surrounding my house where we grow different kinds of spinach and few herbs for which I dont know the english term. I only know how they are called in my native language...I truely miss my garden.

[KYHeirloomer]

Sankum,

Many herbs will do just fine in a small pot on the windowsill. You might give that a try.

One apartment we lived in didn't have sills, as such. So I just rigged narrow shelves out of 4-inch wide boards, and they served just fine.

[allie]

I planted onion chives that I bought at Rural King early last summer. They did well until the first hard frost and this year, I've already harvested a large handful. They're almost ready to harvest again!

I also planted rosemary and lavendar last year. Those plants grew well all summer and I mulched them in the fall. They did not survive the winter. I'm really disappointed especially with the rosemary. I wanted to get it up large enough to use the stems as skewers. I guess it just got too cold for them.

I plan to plant more basil, cilantro, and parsley this year. Those grew very well except I had a hard time keeping the basil and cilantro from bolting. I was able to freeze some for use in soups and sauces this winter. I want to get mint this year as well. I grew dill but didn't find many uses for it so probably won't waste the space again this year. We're just not a dill family!

[phatch]

Originally Posted by allie

I also planted rosemary and lavendar last year. Those plants grew well all summer and I mulched them in the fall. They did not survive the winter. I'm really disappointed especially with the rosemary. I wanted to get it up large enough to use the stems as skewers. I guess it just got too cold for them.

Plant an Arp Rosemary. They'll take zone 5 winters. They still benefit from some southern exposure in the winter and like a little water if it's too dry. Lots of heavy snow can play some havoc with them though.

[OregonYeti]

Originally Posted by sankum

I wud love to but we do not have place in the apartment where we live in But back in India (My native) We have a garden surrounding my house where we grow different kinds of spinach and few herbs for which I dont know the english term. I only know how they are called in my native language...I truely miss my garden.

Have you tried searching the web using your best attempt at English spelling for these non-English words? If you know the Hindi names, that might be more successful. I would be interested to know, and I know the Hindi names for a few herbs. For example, dhaniya is cilantro.

I haven't tried this site for Telugu to English (I believe you said your native language is Telugu?) but here it is Word AnyWhere: Hindi English and Other Indian Languages Dictionary

[allie]

Originally Posted by phatch

Plant an Arp Rosemary. They'll take zone 5 winters. They still benefit from some southern exposure in the winter and like a little water if it's too dry. Lots of heavy snow can play some havoc with them though.

I'll have to try and find that type. We did get a good bit of snow this year. I really was surprised that it didn't come back. That plant was just beautiful and so green up until around Christmas, then the heavy snows and ice came in. It never ended up laying flat like the lavendar but just lost all it's leaves and never budded. Thanks for the recommendation!

I live in the lake effect area of NE Indiana so we do get some heavy snows. Last year was a more brutal winter than any I've seen since I moved to this state in 1998.

[FishAholic]

I started Growing fresh herbs this year from seeds. Having to run to the international market everytime I needed fresh Thai Basil was driving me nuts. So I planted, Chives, Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, Thai Basil and Sweet Basil. I have some in planters on my kitchen window sill and some in outside hanging planters on the fence (wish my townhouse yard was big enough for a real garden). Whether its the massive amounts of rain or the blistering sun we've had over the past few weeks the Outside stuff is doing horrid, the inside stuff is doing incredible. Since I started them late and from seeds, what I have is not quite big enough to use yet. I do have a question though....My Basils (the herb I use the most) will they spread like mint does? Or will I need to replant in order to keep a good supply?

[KYHeirloomer]

No, you're basil won't spread like mint.

Basil is a tender annual, propagated from seed. In some locales it will self-seed, and you'll get a new crop the following year. But don't count on it happening. Plan on replanting each year.

Mints are propagated by cuttings, and grow off of risomes. That's why they're so invasive. It's almost always a good idea to enclose mints, or they take over the garden.

[FishAholic]

ugh, that kinda sucks......guess I need to come up with a new plan considering all the basil I go through. These small planters aren't going to hold me over but for a few meals. (usually about 1/4 cup chopped thai basil). Man I really need a bigger yard