When's the best time to start up a herb garden?

[busymama77]

We just bought a house a few months back that has a wonderful garden window that gets a ton of sun and we would like to start growing herbs. Is it too late to start this? What are the best herbs to plant for beginners? Anything else I need to know?

Thanks so much!!

[rhiOrion]

I'm not an expert, but I generally plant herbs outside in pots from already started plants after the last frost. Though I usually get a bit too anxious and then it gets really cold one night and I lose some.

As far as easiest for beginners- I think that catnip is just about the easiest thing to grow, ever. Not very useful as far as herbs to cook with- but my cat certainly likes it!

If you can get basil going I've had great success with it. But sometimes it doesn't do well in the beginning. I've had similar luck with some of the other "italian" herbs.

I think cilantro is one of the most DIFFICULT plants. It makes me crazy because I hate having to buy it at the store all of the time, but I swear it hates me. It doesn't transplant well, it doesn't like it too hot or too cold, it goes to seed easily. But, like I said, I'm pretty much a beginner, too.

[TheGirls]

Mint is very easy too. It will TAKE OVER though, so it's best in containers. Chives, also, are very very easy. I also struggle with cilantro, and we LOVE cilantro and eat a ton of it so it drives me batty. I'll let you know if I ever get it going...

Some herbs do best started indoors, and some are ok to just put seeds in outdoors. What kinds of herbs are you looking for?

Last year I did a window box with chives & mint and it did very well even though I regularly forgot to water it and put it on a north facing window.... I had chives whenever we wanted them for salad, eggs, etc, and lots of mint that I had no use for, lol. We dont eat much mint apparently.

What herbs do you use? I'd start there. What do you cook with? Anything you take medicinally?

[goldfinches]

I've also never had good luck growing herbs indoors, but all I've tried have been small pots of them. When I grow them in pots outdoors, I used terra cotta, they work really nice.
I like to grow mine in a raised bed. It's a decorative bed, off my patio, and looks really pretty in the yard. Some things you may want to consider, what herbs do you use when you cook? I used basil almost daily, (when I have grown it, I don't buy it at the store, too much $$$), oregano, chives, flat leaf parsley. I also grow sage, dill and thyme. I also plant red flowering plants with them, adds some color.
In plants, I plant mint. It is a spreader. So is oregano, but it's controllable.

So, to answer your question, I would start with whatever you would definately use. Mint, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley at least. And, I would try to plant some outdoor plants, also, they'll probably do 4 times better than your indoor ones.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by TheGirls

Mint is very easy too. It will TAKE OVER though, so it's best in containers. Chives, also, are very very easy. I also struggle with cilantro, and we LOVE cilantro and eat a ton of it so it drives me batty. I'll let you know if I ever get it going...

Some herbs do best started indoors, and some are ok to just put seeds in outdoors. What kinds of herbs are you looking for?

Last year I did a window box with chives & mint and it did very well even though I regularly forgot to water it and put it on a north facing window.... I had chives whenever we wanted them for salad, eggs, etc, and lots of mint that I had no use for, lol. We dont eat much mint apparently.

What herbs do you use? I'd start there. What do you cook with? Anything you take medicinally?

We cook with basil and cilantro, mainly - a little parsley here and there, but with the warmer months around the corner, we would also like to have some fresh mint on hand for tea's and for cooking.

Thanks for all of the tips!! Keep 'em coming!

[TheGirls]

Then definitely plant basil and mint. Basil's not too bad to grow, though it does like sun. If the garden is indoors you can plant it any time of year as long as you'll get enough light. You can certainly try cilantro, but don't transplant it and get as much sun on it as possible. You never know, and seeds are cheap!

[Erinz]

I think you will be amazed how much of how many herbs you will use when you have them for essentially free in your yard! A little parsley here and there turns into "omg this parsley is so good and it's good on EVERYTHING!" At least that's the case for me Homegrown everything is better than purchased.

Happy growing!

[lakeruby]

I'm not sure where you're located, but down here in the deep south we start perennial herbs (mint, oregano, marjoram, thyme...i don't know if these are perennial in cooler climates) in the fall-- because the hot summers will just wipe them out, but if we plant them in the fall they have 8 months or so to grow strong before it gets really hot again.

I agree with some of the pp-- mint is sooo easy and I love having it around for flavoring tea & water. We use basil like crazy

Personally, I haven't had a lot of success starting herbs from seed, but I'd like to try it and have recently purchased some lovage, borage, motherwort & echinacea seeds.

[plantmama]

I just wanted to say I've been growing herbs for many years and have trouble growing them in containers, so don't get discouraged if they don't take. I'm not exactly the most diligent gardener though.
I could never grow basil until I finally made a quick little garden bed in the ground in a sunny place, then it was HUGE.
I bet mint would grow in a container though.

I couldn't tell whether you had a window box or a garden bed in the ground.

[honey-lilac]

My two cents - last year I started out with about six containers of seed herbs - through the summer several of them completely died. I left them alone and they came back, several times over. If a plant is in a container and it's not doing well (not sick or anything, but perhaps gets too dry or something), perhaps just let it be and it might come back.

Sorry if that's sort of off-topic.