Well now folks. Long time lurker decided to go for broke and register. ;D
Can I ask what the best way is to approach growing herbs indoors.
1. Sowing seeds
2. RE-potting shop bought herbs.
In the past I have bought the mini-tubs of parsley, basil et cetera and repotted with ZERO success.
I used terracotta pots and standard potting compost. Kept them fairly well watered and left them in a very bright room but not in direct unlight.
After a few days they begin to wilt and droop and with a little watering, they pick up only for a while. After a few more days, that's it.....deadumptios.
What am I doing wrong? ??? ???
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I am not adverse to starting from seeds (never done it but Im game).
Looking foward to contributing!
Hello KF and welcome. :) In my experience few herbs do well indoors because they need quite large pots to survive. Basil, Parsley and Chives will survive but they are probably best grown from seed or bought from a reputable nursery or garden centre. The problem with the pots you buy in the supermarket is that if you look carefully, they are nearly always packed with hundreds of seedlings rather than one well developed plant. The poor things have no chance of survival in those conditions. Good luck.
G x
PS. If you want to try some herbs from seed I can spare you some. Just send me a Personal Message.
The hot atmosphere in centrally heated houses will kill many plants. can you put them outside anywhere? A windowsill would do it.
Hi there and welcome.
Growing them seriously means pandering to them like babies. ::) Sometimes i can see why people buy them from tesco!
My basil lives outside in a large pot. Sown indoors, early spring, then potted up. It's quite greedy in a pot but DON'T over water - remember where it's from!
I usually use most of it through the summer and then what's not used I'll make pesto and freeze as basil does not freeze very well.
You can sow it now for the summer. I've never had one survive the winter properly. Always end up bedraggled and silly.
Chives are brilliant. If you're somewhere mild they'll be fine outside left to die back over winter and pop up again late spring. Lovely flowers too.
Coriander I find a nightmare to grow. Will try it at the lottie this year straight into ground.
I've always bought mint as a plant. I've always found seeds quite hard to find. You can get lemon mint a =nd chocolate mint mm mmmm.
Buy a nice strong little plant, make sure you plant it in a container that's had it's bottom cut off and sink it or bung it in a nice big container or it will go everywhere!
Parsley, again, nice big pot, sow about now ( did mine on Tuesday) and then again in autumn. I start again every year as they run to seed in their second year.
I buy oregano plants as they are only 60p from my local grocer and they don't last the winter so it's worth it. Likes it sunny too and again, not too wet.
My thyme was from cuttings and likes it fairly dry and as sunny as it can get. I fleeced it over winter and for the first time - it survived and is back with vengeance this year.
With all, trim after flowering.
Hope this helps! sounds daunting but not too bad. :)
And welcome from me. You can get a half decent crop of many herbs inside but that is for the colder months. If you have any space at all outside then give it a go-pots are OK for most of them.
As to buying tubs of herbs from supermarkets and then potting them on-well I have a vested interest in saying don`t :)
Cleo-aka Smiling Cat Herbs ;D
Yes I am hopeless with herbs, yet I had my parsley overwinter this year! Mad... Yet a pot of Coriander seems to be doing well in the kitchne, I am going to put it outside and I will try again with some Parsley, I can't seem to get it to germinate :-(
It takes forever antipodes. I water mine with warm water. Helps a little but can still take 4-6 weeks to germinate!!
The May issue of 'The Garden' has some info on growing herbs. I was particularly interested in the basil. It suggests taking a shop bought pot of basil, and then potting up the individual seedlings, up to just below their first true leaves, and then pinching out the tips to encourage them to become bushy. I'm going to give it a go as I never have much luck with seeds. It did suggest planting them out though, rather than keeping them indoors.
Can't remember what tips it gave on other herbs as I was only skim reading.
My basil just wilts indoors. Really doesn't thrive. Sunny spot outside though and it goes crazy. That idea, if it works might be very good way of using the shop basil, although it may be like shop garlic and not as strong a flavour as your own grown from seed. At 99p for a pot though it might be very cost effective way of getting lots of little plants. Hmmm. :)
Sowing parsley, both curly and flat-leaf. Soak in v.warm water for a few hours or overnight before sowing & germinate somewhere warm.
Shop-bought pots of basil; you can divide the basil into 2 clumps. Plant in multi-purpose compost in pots. Cut off (and use) the top 2/3rds...the rest will grow on a treat. I keep mine in the 'house. Have done this for years while waiting for my own basil to grow - then I've got loads of pots of it 8)
Sorry Killer - forgot to say welcome! And also, if you're going to grow herbs indoors and have a really sunny windowsill, I'm not seeing a problem? All my herbs I grow in the greenhouse.....
WOW!...............
Thanks for all of the replies. I expected nothing less though ;D
RE the sunny windowsill getting to them and a glasshouse not. I know. I cant figure that either.
I am going to try and grow a few seeds and see how I get on there. Ill also try and split the pots and pot them up too.
I have a little balcony space, but not a lot. Also, it is not easy get to and I like to use the fresh herbs in the cooking every day. It is for sheer ease that I want to keep them in the kitchen.
Thanks again, keep the replies coming and Ill update ye on proceedings as time goes on.
Welcome Killerflies 8)
For the 1st time EVER I've germinated basil seed so I'm feeling very protective towards them! But instinctively I wouldn't keep them indoors. I reckon every plant needs a bit of fresh air round their leaves and a sniff of proper rain water to exist.
All my houseplants have died - even cactii that survive in the desert ::)
Quote from: Alishka_Maxwell on April 27, 2007, 22:58:16
Shop-bought pots of basil; you can divide the basil into 2 clumps. Plant in multi-purpose compost in pots. Cut off (and use) the top 2/3rds...the rest will grow on a treat.
Well, I followed your advice and potted them out as directed and put them in a good organic compost. Time will tell how we get on but so far so good (2 days)
I do the same with coriander ;D
UPDATE:
1 week in and both the shop bought parsley and basil are holdinu up!
There was a bit of loss with the parsley with some leaves dying off. Also, it seems that it is a bitweak wrt the wind. Every time there is a breath of wind, it is flattened!
The basil however, is doing nicely. After chopping them back by 2/3rds there are quite a few new leaves coming on. I also left another pot with less leaves removed and that seems quite content. I have picked from this one for the dinner so I suppose while I did not cut it back at the start, there has been a lot of cut back since.
Thanks again one and all for the help. I will see now if I can bring one of them inside to the kitchen and have it survive. Ill leave it a few weeks before that happens though.