Herb Stress!

[kie]

Hi there everyone, Im so glad Ive found you. Ive bought a book on herbs, scoured the internet and still not found out what I need to know so Im hoping you lot can help me.

I am very new to herb gardening and this year planted corriander, basil, mint and rocket.

Mint and basil are fine but Im struggling with the rocket and corriander.

Rocket is growing soooooo fast I cannot keep up with it. Its HUGE! I was picking the flowers off but there are so many flowers now its impossible. Plus its starting to get these bean like pod things on some of the stems. Any idea what these are? And now its flowered does that mean I cant eat the leaves anymore? Also what do I do with the plant now? Do I fetch it out or leave it? What do I save for next time - the flowers or the pod thingies?

Next is the corriander, it didnt last very long as it went to flower quite quickly and Ive left it because it looked pretty. But now I guess I need to do something with it. Do I keep the flowers - are they the seeds? Do I have to take up and chuck the plant or will it just die off eventually?

Oh and also blumming butterflies decided to lay eggs over everything. I bought some safe spray especially for herbs and fingers crossed that has solved the problem. Any tips to stop this in the future?

Sorry for so many questions and for being so thick but this is all very new to me and I am trying........ LOL!!

Actually Im really enjoying growing my herbs and plants, Ive also growing some mini peppers and tomatoes in my utility room. I havent put them outside as I didnt think it was warm enough and they are doing fab!!

Thank you in advance

Kie

[kentvegplot]

Hi Kie, welcome.

Don't worry - your Rocket is doing what we would expect at this time of year - bolting (coming into flower and setting seed). You've not done anything wrong.

Coriander too can go to seed very fast. I had one (self-sown) plant this year, I've let it go to seed and have collected quite a lot of seed, pulling the plant up once all harvested.. I will use this in the kitchen, and keep some for next year. BTW, there are two types of coriander seed you can buy, one is better for leaves (tends to be called something like 'leaf coriander') - check you have the right one.

Caterpillars? The only solution I have found is to net the cabbages etc and stop the butterflies laying their eggs......

[daylily]

I'd class rocket as a salad leaf myself and very hardy at that, also not all herbs need the same conditions. Rocket will happily over-winter in most parts of the UK without protection and as Kent says runs to seed very fast in summer weather. You can let it self seed or collect the seeds from the pods, when they are dry and sow where you want them to be. Somewhere a bit shady will help.

Coriander and a lot of Asian veg are better sown in autumn, like now as they prefer shorter daylight than our summers provide.

I don't know about butterfly eggs on herbs much, sorry.

[Demeter]

I've just got my latest sowing of coriander coming through now, it looks the healthiest of all the ones I've sown so far.

Rocket - I had cabbage white caterpillars on mine too. Grrr!!! I didn't know rocket was a brassica (Just googled it, apparently it is Brassica Eruca, so there you go) Anyway, mearly all of it bolted before I could eat it as I don't feel like eating salad when its raining - most of my salad leaves have gone to waste... oh dear. Well I'm thinking of sowing a bit more at the weekend. I like it on pizza, even if the weather is rubbish

If you are saving seed, leave the flowers and they will turn into seeds. The pods on the rocket are the seedcases - they come after the flowers have gone.

[Demeter]

PS Kie - welcome to the vine!!

[kie]

Hello again, thanks for all your help.
Im going to have a good look around the group shortly

Kie