Culinary Herbs #2

If you can find a big metal can (#10) coffee or other canned vegetable can, you can cut the top & bottom off, sink it in the ground and then plant your mint in that. Supposed to keep the roots from expanding all over the place.

steph,
Do not want to "bust the bubble" but the mint will send runners over the top of the can and they will take root and "invade" :)--Hanging baskets is the only way I have ever found to contain it.

Vortreker - agreed. Have always had my mint in hanging baskets and trimmed off the runners. Moved over the summer and didn't have hangers put up yet so set them on the ground.....I see mint poking up in the bed already. :-) Those runners would even grow to the ground in the hanging baskets if you let them. Back to hanging them from now on.

Hanging baskets never even occurred to me - thanks for the great idea!

I hadn't thought of hanging baskets either. Brilliant idea!

ha! My mint's headed for a hanging basket too!

Do you think it would survive in a basket hanging up under the covered porch?

Otherwise I fear the mints are headed for an uprooting altogether... I've been giving my dh a hard time about the mint taking over. This spearmint was in a wood box container, looking all nice and neat when my hubby was motivated to dig me a garden area....and since he can accomplish this task waaay faster than I can, I didn't argue when he put the mint in the ground. I knew better!!! It grew at least ten times bigger in the ground and is spreading into other herbs.

The peppermint is turning into ground cover, making its way thru the grass (although I despise this grass I don't know the name but it is impossible to dig up). The mint smells wonderful ~ I'm conflicted here.

If it's under cover but still gets some direct light, I'd just give it a turn every time I watered.

That's not mint! It's wild cranesbill! haha

Here's the mint I was talking about.

And Pegancat, thank you for the advise !

LOL - I *thought* that looked an awful lot like geraniums, then I thought, well... no, maybe it's the invasive grass?

I was so confuseded.

You're welcome -my advice is always free, and plentiful!

Ok--time to resuscitate this thread again.
Who will take the lead?

Well, I'm interested in growing some pinenuts, they are so expensive at the store!! Any success with growing them, anyone?

I've been digging up mints but haven't gotten it all yet! LOL It's crazy! In Jan I decided I would extend the area for planting new herbs this year so dug it up, turned it and put down cardboard, added soil and leaf matter over it and placed bricks around it so the mint wouldn't move over into the new area. Wrong!! The mint just crawled under the bricks, under the cardboard and broke it's way thru the cardboard and started growing in the new bed. OMG that stuff is crazy!!! LOL Dug that all back up...put new soil down. Still finding mint popping up.

Guess hubby will be getting his mojitos this spring/summer!! But I'll be digging the mint up as I go and not clipping it!!

Pineapple mint came back very happily from roots too.

And this plant that I'm not sure what it is...planted from culinary seeds of either Black cumin or black caraway last spring. Hahaha I guess you never know unless you try ^_^ But will have to grow both again in separate containers so I will know for sure what it is. Can't find pics to confirm either??

Allwild--that looks a lot like Sage.

I have tried to germinate Pinus pinea without success. It takes 6 or 7 years for it to produce pine nuts

Black caraway or Black cumin
nigella sativa

Yes is sure does look alot like sage and it tastes like sage too, golly gee I guess it must be sage!

Maybe I got the seeds mixed up when planting last year - it's certainly not impossible ! lol

This "sage" endured the entire summer and winter. (I also grew salvia officinalis from seed that was much fussier and died at some point in the heat).

I'm still going to plant those other seeds and see what happens... it was an on-line spice purchase. They may not ever count on anyone actually trying to grow the seeds and pass them off as whatever LOL.

I guess that pine nut thing is out!!

LOL = I thought it was sage, too!

What is the coldest zone any of you have had Lemon Grass (roots) survive with heavy winter mulch?

If you forget about yours in Ohio and it frosts, lemongrass dies immediately. It doesn't "get frost damage" it just turns black and croaks.

Yes the tops die immediately with frost.
I am asking about root survival topped with mulch.

This was a harder winter than normal with temps in the low teens and a 60 hour stretch below freezing. I lost my lemon grass in ground in this zone. It has mulched its' way thru 3 previous winters.

Thanks Pod--that answers my question since we are near neighbors.
I was hoping to mulch it over but I guess I better root some at the end of the season in my little GH.

tomatofreak, if you can't find it, let me know...I'm going to Companion Plants either this weekend or next, and they for certain have it.

I'm trying to find some crowning dill. Does anyone know where i can find some? Mine is growing real slow this year !

tomatofreak--sorry I did not see your post earlier--sorry but I moved from Alabama to Texas and I cannot find my saved seeds--I will look some more and have saved your Dmail address in case I find them.

Thanks so much for looking. Have you cooked with culantro? I see that Daisy uses the leaves mostly but sometimes also uses the root.

tomato freak--I found the very young plants (2" high) tasted more like the true Cilantro--the older leaves were much stronger and tasted quiet different to me from the very young ones but I still liked the flavor--I have not tried the roots.
Also try Rau Ram if you like the "Cilantro flavor"--50% filtered light in my previous area of deep S. Alabama--still different but good.

Yeaaaaah!!!
After four years of trying I have one measly Asafetida seed that germinated. I think I'll put it in a bank vault with lights.

LOL!

Trade Winds Fruit has culantro seeds for sale @ $2.00 per pack, w/free shipping on orders of $7.50 or more. Seems pretty reasonable. They're on the Garden Watchdog Top 5 list too:

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/2194/

A second Asafetida has germinated today--I think with luck like that I'll go buy my first lottery ticket tomorrow!!!! :)

I dunno ~ you may have just used it all up! lol

Your probably right-I wont stretch it

Thanks y'all for the help. I may order from that one site or go back to the nursery and just pay 'em. Rau Ram is something I've never heard of. Guess I could pester them with queries about that one, too!

tf,

Rau Ram is also called Vietnamese Coriander and Vietnamese Cilantro.
Make sure you have an area of about 50% filtered sun to grow it. Maybe under a deciduous hardwood?
I looked for the Culantro seed today with no luck. :(

I am going to Companion Plants either tomorrow or next Saturday, depending on when my patio furniture is delivered, I'll pick up seed for you.

Ok now that my Asafoeteda has finally germinated-
Has anyone grown it in N. Central Texas? I see it is in the umbellifera family so I am afraid it will not take our heat.

Tomatofreak, I got some culantro seed at Companion Plants yesterday...want to split the packet?

Celene, I'd love to! Thanks a bunch. I'll d-mail you with details.

tomatofreak--be sure and grow Culantro in 50% shade in Az. Also, only, the very-very young parts of the plants really resemble "Cilantro" flavor (to me)--The older plant parts have an even "stronger" flavor than does Cilantro. But I love it in "Mexican food" in small quantities.
A personal and of course "subjective" statement of "flavor" on my part.