Time to sow some herb seeds! Let's talk germination!?

Hi, herbsters--

I have been going through my seed box, thinking about starting different herb seeds under lights, or using the 'Wintersowing' method, or direct sowing in the garden...

And I'm becoming more confused as I go along reading the backs of the different seed packets (in former years I just went out and purchased the plants!)

I am in zone 6a and our last frost date is around April 18.

Is there a timeline you use for your herb seed starts?

Let us know your favorite seeds to germinate. Your least favorite? What you don't bother with. What is good for 'Wintersowing'...?

Do you find using the 'Wintersowing' process helpful? For which seeds?

Are there some seeds that are more difficult to germinate? That require stratification?
Do you direct sow?

Thanks for any tips, tricks, advice you can share. t.

dill, fennel, cilantro,chives and garlic chives all come up as volunteers in the spring in my garden.
I did winter sow calandula last year but I guess they were set back by transplant, because the ones I later direct sowed were nicer in size and bloom.
I start a few basil in the house under lights , then later direct sow a larger patch.

Herbsters ... LOL ~ I needed that grin this morning.

Basil is such a snap to grow that I just plant where I want it and when it is warm enough. I don't have a lot of seed starting knowledge as most things here come back or hang around thru our winters.

I will have to look back and see what I started from seed and how....

I've got my seeds started, parsley flatleaf, sage, oregano italian, rosemary, chamomile, dill.
New to growing herbs but wanted to give it a try, thought about drying some to give as gifts to family and friends.

I can never wait until "after last frost" to sow basil, always end up with several flats of it (different varieties) under the lights. The clump transplanting method I described here in the propagation forum works well for basil, dill, parsley, etc... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/589725/

I'm waiting for some basil seedlings to get big enough to transplant and take photos while I do it, and then I'll submit the article I'm working on about seed sowing and clump transplanting... it's similar to the info above, maybe a little more complete and more concise... LOL.

Basil started inside definitely likes heat mats and fluorescent lights. Check out my other "Seed Starting 101" articles for more on those topics. :-)

Thanks, Critter, for reminding me about those excellent seed starting posts. I have referred to them before for planting...

Critter--by chance was it you who posted on a germination thread a link to a seed germination site where a gardener filled in their last frost date, the first frost date, and what plant they wanted to grow and it would calculate the date the seed should be started (under lights)...?

Does anyone here recall the name of the website or have the link? I thought it was very handy...

It seems like southern gardeners can grow herbs easily...just toss them in the ground (almost). (-: For me it has always been a big part luck.

Odd but not always. I learned much about overwintering from Northern growers. They taught me how many of the herbs are hardy like the oreganos.

I have started several herbs from seed before. I find it much more rewarding to watch something grow from the seeds that were planted by you than to just buy an already started plant. Although i have bought the plants as well. Basil is probably the easiest herb to grow from seed and has such beautiful foliage.

Sorry, that wasn't my link -- but it sounds like a useful one! I hope somebody can come up with it. It would be a good one to add to my next "Seed Starting 101" article! :-)

Katy, you're right! One of my favorite parts of growing Basil from seed is when they have 2 or 3 sets of true leaves and it's time to pinch them back... that first harvest of sweet, tender, delicious fresh basil... mmmmm!

The only one I've had trouble with so far is blue vervain. 6 months and only one germinated which is weird because its supposed to be an easy germinator. Maybe I got bad seed.

Ah ha! I found the 'seed starting" calculator link! http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm

It has a section just for herbs, too!

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/seeds/herbseed.htm

I'll have to try basil--I always thought it was hard to grow! Silly me!



This message was edited Feb 19, 2008 4:47 PM

Tabasco--you're taking a very thorough approach to this. I only started growing annuals from seed last year, and this included several types of basil, cilantro, German chamomile, calendula and many types of salad greens. I started them under lights easily. Also, hot peppers.

I started lavender from seedone time with success, but several folks have told me that seeds do not always "comes true." I've seen for myself that dill, cilantro and calendula are best direct sown outside. I buy bedding plants for most perennial herbs like thyme, mints and oreganos, rosemary, etc. I didn't want to bother with winter-sowing this year. Just another mess to make.

The big problem with seed packet instructions is when they say things like, "sow seed outdoors in mid-spring." Hmm. If it's a hardy annual (it will self-sow), then that could mean different times for different zones, but you don't have to wait for the last frost date. For all tender annuals and perennials, you probably will want to get a head start by starting them indoors under lights. They take a while to get established once transplanted, but grow very rapidly when the weather warms up. Dill, cilantro and chamomile, for example, sky-rocket once established. You have to watch them and harvest them right away or you will lose them quickly.

Good link for serious germinators!! Thanks!

FnF, Thanks for your reflections on herb seed starting. It sounds like you have had pretty good success with herbs and I am going to save your post in my diary for reference!

LOL, I know I am over-thinking my herb project, but this year I would like to figure out the most streamlined and easiest way to start these seeds so that it will become a 'no-brainer' for me next year! And record my results/methods in my journal along with these posts with additional tips.

Some, like the hardy annuals and perennials, seem like good candidates for 'wintersowing' (for which I am also looking for a streamlined/less fuss process) and just as you suggest are better for under lights. In any case, I want to get away from buying the plants at the garden center if possible.

I just received a several herb seed packets in the mail (or bought them at Lowes) yesterday:

Caraway
Chervil
Cilantro
Coriander
Dill
Dill Bouquet
Fennel
Garden Sorrel
Oregano
Oregano Greek
Parsley (wild)
Sweet Marjoram
Salvia officinalis Italy
Thyme (orange)
Among others in my seed box (or already in the garden).

Last night I started 3 kinds of salvias under lights including S. penstemonoides, subrotunda and praeclara, but these are mainly for the hummingbirds.

Wow, that's a lot of seed. I have never grown caraway, chervil or sorrl before. I wanted to try French sorrel this year....

I will organize my list tonight and post later. Sowing will begin in March, with the exception of tomatoes, which I am starting now to get a jump on the season.

You don't really need to start a lot of seedlings for oregano, sweet marjoram, saliva officialis and thyme unless you have a lot of room because each one of these generally will need at least one square foot of garden space. You['ll need room to get to all parts of them. If you are planning to harvest a lot for drying and storage, several will do but remember, each plant requires frequent pruning and pinching off of flower buds to keep them robust and going all summer. A lot of TLC.......

I have found that I can just seed them in the garden. I always have dill, lemon basil, greek oregano, chives just reseed themselves and I am pulling out the excess now. The oregano is like a ground cover, so I second what foxnfirefly said about that.

Thinking I had some rare Italian cooking herb, lucky thing I googled for 'wild parsley' on my list! Now I find out it's actually Wild Parsnip. Quite an ugly and invasive weed! And I almost sent it out to others in trade across the country!

I bought this seed from ValueSeed.

If that's the tall thing with the yellow flowers, you sure don't want it! Pull them when they're small, because they will get a tap root that you won't believe -- 2 feet long or more, and as big around as your forearm!

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/plants/wildparsnip.htm

yep, that's the one!

It took years to remove all the horseradish from the vegetable garden so I'd imagine it is similar to the parsnip. Any portion, even the tiniest bit of root, seems to generate more plants.

LOL... yes, horseradish... oh gosh, and people worry about mint! A friend brought over a horseradish plant for my father soon after we moved in here (no beds dug yet), and he forgot to pack it in the car... I planted it "temporarily" in the front foundation bed. 6 years later, I'm still pulling up horseradish plants from that spot!

Speaking of mint, I love it but it really can take over. Anyone tried a variety that is not so agressive? I would love to have some that I didn't have to keep in a pot. Pots dry out so quickly for me.

Have you tried mint in a large pot sunk in ground? That will help keep it from drying so badly. Also prevents spreading.

... or at least slows spreading down, so if you keep an eye on it you can keep it in bounds.

The 'Kentucky Colonel' spearmint that I have in the bed by the deck (yes, with the bananas) seems less aggressive... it still spreads, but it's easy to get out of the way, and it seems to "play well with others." I haven't had trouble with it choking out other plants the way some of the peppermints tend to do.

I haven't tried sinking it into the ground. Our air is so dry that even things in the ground dry out quickly, but pots need water at least once daily. I figured down in the ground would encourage it to spread sooner. I will be on the lookout for the "Kentucky Colonel" then! Thanks!

I didn't know horseradish was such a robust grower--must rethink that one. At least I red-flagged the wild parsnips.

I just ordered a bunch of different salvia seeds from "Specialty Perennials" and I hope they get here in time to start them under lights to set out when it warms up here. I want them for the hummingbirds...

Also ordered some agastache seed, which I am not so fond of, but the owner of SP said in the seed write-ups that he chose some of the less obnoxious smelling ones to list--I'm not sure what he means by that, but I guess a lot of people use agastache in sachets...I wanted it for the butterlies and birds, though, and will throw the seed on the back edge of the property to grow. No sachets for me this year.

Gardengus--I just read back through the thread and I am surprised you get so many volunteers in your herb garden. I can barely get cilantro to grow at all, much less as a volunteer! I did read that fennel is considered invasive in some states, but not in my garden--and again, I want that one for the swallowtails, although I admit I love fennel with oranges in salads!

And thanks for the reminder not to plant too many seeds--- I won't plant too many of the seeds for each herb--I'm mainly interested in seeing if I can grow them and maybe share a few as hostess gifts for friends and family.

So, is it too early to start gowing some under lights if our last frost date is April 20 Zone 6a. I don't think our season is really quite long enough to just throw the seeds out into the garden like some of you lucky southerners! Your talk of basil has created visions of a delicious plate of pesto in a Tuscan garden for me today (as the snow is coming down in big flakes!)

The problem with the Agastache we grew, with a licorice smell, was that the seeds sprouted all over. It was years of pulling them out but not the worst to get rid of and a nice smell - not like that gassy smell of the roots of Houttuynia Cordata Chameleon. They smelled too much like the meal of beans in Blazing Saddles.

What instructions are on the package, Tabasco? If it says to start indoors 6 weeks before your last frost date then just count backwards and plant accordingly. You just might want to keep a few seedlings inside until mid-May just in case of a hard late frost.

I'll have to get my seed packets and my bifocals out and read the small print on the packets, I guess.

I think it's too early, but I am excited to get going since I bought my heat mat, my 'Messenger' and my 'Superthrive' yesterday at the Worm Way store (weird name for a gardening store, isn't it?)

But can't really do too much in the dirt today since I cut my finger opening a can of tomatoes last night and had to go to Emergency and get 7 stitches! That will set me back a few days. Oh, well...

You'll love the heating mat if you haven't tried it before. It's great for impatiens, tomatoes and many more seeds.

Hope your finger heals fast.

Sorry about your finger but you might slip a finger cot or cut a finger from a rubber glove and play in the dirt anyway... it will help your feelings. I might suggest seeding a quick pot of a favorite basil. They sprout quickly and will probably grow and give you some nibbles till serious gardening begins.

Thanks for your encouragement. I will see what I can do 'bout the finger. Don't want to risk infection--may restrict myself to looking at seed catalogs and a little bit typing on DG...

The surgeon told me when it heals I'll be a classical pianist. Isn't that great?! LOL

Ahhh... if you are not currently a pianist I want to know which finger you cut and which direction ~ I always wanted to play a piano but am tone deaf ~LOL

Well, he's an excellent surgeon. I think Harry Connick uses him too!

LOL! We are all going to want an appt. with him!