I cleared a little place by my back kitchen porch and will plant a few culinary herbs, I would love your suggestions. I would prefer things that don't spread seed everywhere like bronze fennel or things that spread like mints. Will a pot really contain mints if you sink it into the ground a bit?
New to herbs
Lenjo-Yes,a pot or any sunken border will pretty well contain mint.It mostly spreads by root runners,not by seed.
Well, that is good to hear as there are some lovely mints I wouldn't mind trying.
But how about other herbs, what do you grow?
I grow Creeping thyme,winter savory,sage,Greek oregano,lemon balm & lots of mint.I dry the mint and use it in tea all winter.The others I dry in small amounts and give away.
If the lip of your pot is even with the ground or below ground, your mint will escape and make merry. Those runners are tenacious. Lenjo, some other herbs that are good for culinary use include French tarragon, parsley (Italian flat leaf), thyme, sage, chives. The list is lengthy. How much space do you have??
It is about 8 feet by 6 feet, one the west side of my house, right by a back door. I definitely want french tarragon and chives. How much space should I allow for a 4 inch start. I know thyme can really spread. I would like to leave a little room for some annual herbs like cilantro and basil.
Kinda watch your chives as they will spread by seed.
I'm going to try garlic chives this year.I got some seed and going to start it indoors.
This message was edited Mar 8, 2008 10:36 AM
Rosemary is nice. I think your zone would be plenty warm enough for it. Maybe you could grow lemon verbena. It makes a lovely herb tea and smells great.
I do have a patch of rosemary. How about the lemon verbena ; isn't it a spreader by roots ?
Lemon verbena is a tender perennial sub shrub.It is a great plant.I can not beleive it would spread that much.I keep mine in a pot only because I need to bring it indoors in the winter.You can also prune it to keep it a certain size.Lemon balm on the other hand gets big and throws seed.Who hates lemon verbena? Nobody.Favorite annuals for color,borage,red shisho,calendula,nasturtium.Favorite perennials,lovage,oregano,feverfew,hyssop,lavender,horehound,salad burnet,sage,st johns wort,skullcap.
Borage is a tremendous attractor of bees.I planted a few seedlings last spring(very easy to start from seed) and when it started to bloom,I had more bumblebees than I've ever seen before here.We have no honeybees on the island.
Borage will get quite huge, won't it? Most of my herbs are in pots to control moisture and sun in our heat.
Oregano will spread but not as agressively as the mints do. Marjoram is similar. I will say the garlic chives will reseed far more quickly than conventional chives. Another herb that is tasty, decorative and can be controlled if you don't let it go to seed is dill.
I bring the lemon verbena in overwinter just for added protection. I keep a bay (Laurus nobilis) tree in a pot to keep it a controllable size. If I'm not mistaken, there is a smaller lemon grass also?
Should you plant basil, deadhead the blooms as it will freely reseed also.
Have you sampled scented geraniums? I like the rose and other fruit- scented ones. They're annual and the leaves make great-tasting teas.
You might want to try hens and chicks, just for fun. They have some lore, but not much industrial use nowadays that I know of. They just have interesting foilage and bizarre flowers to look at while your trimming the chives. Lamb's ears and lavendar would add some silver color and texture to your greenery. Salad burnet and dandelions (for salad greens) are good, too, if you like more than just iceberg lettuce. Sprinkle the garden with dwarf sunflowers--they are an asset to any garden.
Arugula grows like a weed here. It goes to seed quickly and comes up all over the place. But, it's good in a salad.
Great suggestions everybody, I definitely want to try lemongrass and lemon balm. Not the lemon one that spreads like mint. I think from what you have explained I want regular chives instead of garlic chives. I also want to find french tarragon. I looked at the garden center a couple of days ago and there isn't much available here yet.
Yes, I like the idea of scented geraniums.
I have had borage and it seeds pretty freely here. And it gets pretty big too, so I might have to find a different place for it.
If you want basils, I've got a seed offer open now, posted on this forum. :-)
Well, anytime I get out and about and check anyplace that sells herbs I am on the prowl for various ones. Today I found French Tarragon. I am never sure what oregano, sage, or thyme to consider. I am open to your suggestions. Thanks!!!
For cooking, I like the strong, clean flavors of Greek Oregano and French Thyme... but explore, rub a leaf and sniff, see what appeals to you. Some of the creeping thymes have nice scents and flavors that are fine for cooking, while others are more ornamental in use (either lacking flavor or tasting a little like turpentine). My favorite sage for cooking is 'Bergarten', but 'Tricolor' sage or 'Pineapple' sage are also nice -- and really attractive!
So many herbs... I need a bigger garden...
Tricolor sage it is then, I see all kinds of pretty foliage in the sages.
Lenjo--here's more on the scented geraniums. Thought you'd be interested. It's from the new Herbalpedia book:
http://www.herbnet.com/geraniumlist.pdf
i'm late to everything- and haven't posted in a long time..- but thats a fun new thing to do, lenho, right near the kitchen Theses would be my needs: Basil, even tho its annual- several kinds- regular, and purple and thai at least.. Parsley- i like italian parsley- several plants. Chives- both regular and garlic. Rosemary, Thyme- a few different culinary thymes-they are more upright and easier to pick. Culinary Sage, and Tarragon.. a patch of dill, a patch of corriander...started in the garden with seed for spring, and replanted for a fall crop. There are some wonderful mints- I like to have a few kinds, which i do keep in plastic pots- that are sunk in- you have to water them individually, however, because the plastic interferes with water absorbtion. Those are my HAVE TO HAVES.....of course, you could stick in a few (shorter variety) nasturtiums.. Love the lemon and tangerine marigolds...some johnny jump ups to put in salads.. and callendula or 2 for the same thing... I'm getting too carried away, I'm sure! good luck! sarah
I LOVE Lavender, Lemon Thyme, Lemon Verbena for fragrance and Basil for pesto! YUM!