Starting a new herb bed ?

[jayjay giant]

I have grown herbs here and there but not had much success with the exception of corriander !
However I am having a move around and can probably create a deep raised bed around 3ft square.
How can i get it to be most productive and what goes with what and when in the year do i start ?
Thanks in advance

Jayjay

QSL M6JDB

[pigletwillie]

You can plant pot grown stuff any time the ground is workable. Plant mints by plunging their pots into the soil otherwise they will take over.

I use lovage as a centre piece as it grows upwards of 6' but is great for use in stocks, soups and stews. I grow the following as essentials

mint (various varieties)
thyme
sage
rosemary
French tarragon
oregano
lavender
sorrell

All are perenials and you usually have something to pick all through the year.

As annuals, basil is a must, along with flat leaf parsley and corriander.

[jayjay giant]

Thanks for that, that sounds like a good start and if i can get something off it every month of the year i will be really happy.
Only just started to use fresh herbs in my cooking. To be honest i have only just got over how good the vegetables taste when home grown but now i find the herbs really add another dimension !
thanks

Jayjay

QSL M6JDB

[Reb Williams]

Wait till spring to plant things like basil and parsley, I'd say. I'm interested in the success you've had with coriander, that's the one herb I've never managed to grow properly. What do you do and how do you stop it bolting?

Reb
___________________________________________
Read about growing up in the Good Life - Grow Your Own Cows

[sarraceniac]

Wait till spring to plant things like basil and parsley, I'd say. I'm interested in the success you've had with coriander, that's the one herb I've never managed to grow properly. What do you do and how do you stop it bolting?

Reb
___________________________________________
Read about growing up in the Good Life - Grow Your Own Cows

Basil likes heat. No - basil likes HEAT. If you plant it indoors you will have more success with it. Don't put it out until June at the earliest.

Parsley needs heat to germinate. You can plant it in late spring but to get the seed to really kick-in then put it in a pot of compost or good soil and cover it with a good quarter inch of potting compost (or good soil). Then - and this is not a joke - boil your kettle and water it with just off the boil water. Yes, I'm serious. You won't cook it, it will force germination.

Just editing to say, to stop coriander bolting - keep picking it is the easiest way, it will keep coming.

[ginger ninger]

I grow Chervil, Dill, Curly Leaf Parsley, Basil and Chives on my kitchen window over the winter.

[Rhona]

Outside we have;

rosemary
sage (various)
mint (various)
thyme (lemon and golden)
oregano
chives
lavender
sorrell
bay

Inside

Basil
Coriander
Lemon Grass

Restrict the mint, but otherwise, you should find herbs pretty easy to grow, compared with many other things. I find Greek Basil much easier to grow than any other type - I use it constantly. It's got a strong flavour and grows fast and generally keeps up with me.

I use herbs everyday, and couldn't be without any of them!

[Bren In Pots]

I grow my mint in an old butlers sink, then the rest of my herbs are in pots.

rosemary
thyme
chives
bay

I've got parsley on the kitchen still and I did have some basil but that died over the weekend.

[Incredible Edible]

We have established a number of community herb gardens here in todmorden, and some of our most successful herbs have been sage, lovage, angelica, golden marjoram and lemon balm as well as many varieties of thyme and mint... our newest garden is at our local health centre and includes lots of rosemart, many different sages, and more unuasual herbs will be added in the spring.

In my experience coriander grows best in poorer soil, it grows better in some areas of Todmorden than others...we are in a river valley with moorland tops, so our soil ranges from really peaty and acid, to heavy clay in the valley bottom...

helena

[jayjay giant]

You might be right about the corriander being better in poor soil. I bought a growing one from asda and split it int about 5 plants and put them in the ground under my chamelia. A couple of weeks later I trimmed the tops with some scissors. Next thing you know I have got a carpet of corriander about 2ft square. It just kept going.
I tried with a few others in a similar fashion and they all faded quite quickly !
Sometimes I think its just the luck of the draw !

[ronbuckvw]

looking at puting a herb garden out front of house thinking of putting logs to build up area and then fill with soil and that will this work

[sarraceniac]

looking at puting a herb garden out front of house thinking of putting logs to build up area and then fill with soil and that will this work

Long as you grow the right herbs for the conditions Ron it will work just fine. I am slowly moving my copious, spread out, herbs to a new slightly raised bed nearer the house. Should work with no problems.

[gojiberry]

Have just duilt a herb table approx 4' by 18" split into three separate beds. Because of the height already I don't want anything with to much height. I have seed for sage and parsley, have ordered oregano and thyme seed today and have chives out on the lottie. The only other one I would like is a rosemary but will probably have to buy a plant.

Ian

[sarraceniac]

Have just duilt a herb table approx 4' by 18" split into three separate beds. Because of the height already I don't want anything with to much height. I have seed for sage and parsley, have ordered oregano and thyme seed today and have chives out on the lottie. The only other one I would like is a rosemary but will probably have to buy a plant.

Ian

Why buy Ian? Rosemary is easy from cuttings. Unfortuately this is the wrong time of year. Cuttings in summer are no problem, and if you buy a plant it will only be small. If you want to PM me in July I will root you one or two (they travel better that way) and send it in late August\early September. If you are in a rush you shouldn't be gardening.