The Herb Garden - month by month

[Snoop Puss]

I was rummaging for something else on the bookshelf and came across the book. Will get it out today. Am keen to grow chives and garlic chives this year. On your list, I'll go with chervil. Bit early for basil yet for us. Thyme and rosemary grow wild. And parsley and sage I'll cheat and buy plants.

[veggiechicken]

I'm going to sow some January ones this week - Chives & Garlic chives and Winter savory.
Also take cuttings of Bay and Rosemary, just for the fun of it, as I have more of each than I'll ever use!

[Small pumpkin]

Let me know how you get on with your bay cuttings VC. I’m still trying & still failing
Never mind I’ve got another couple of years to get it right

[veggiechicken]

I grew my bay trees from cuttings initially, Sp - can't remember what I did though. At a rough guess it would have been to take a bit of fresh growth, strip off the lower leaves and plunge it deep into a pot. Stick it aside and forget about it.
If I can get some growing I'll send you some.

[Mark Rand]

Got some lemon (winter) savory coming up along with several varieties of basil in the propagator and some mint seeds poking their heads up. Chives and parsely will take a bit longer

I should have tried heat treating my two (15") pots of mint plants before they went dormant for the winter because they both got mint rust last year. I assume it was too late once the rust turned into spores?

Unrelated question:- Is it ok to give mint a couple of inches of top-dressing?

[Mark Rand]

Another question!

Can I prune a bay plant/tree violently and expect it to re-grow? I've got a couple that have got rather straggly due to harvesting the older leaves while the new leaves are growing further up the twigs.

[bramble]

I bought a pot of young bay leaves in a container in Tesco.
I brought them home and potted them up.
I have trained them into mop headed bay trees and they are in a pot each of my hall door.

[veggiechicken]

Another question!

Can I prune a bay plant/tree violently and expect it to re-grow? I've got a couple that have got rather straggly due to harvesting the older leaves while the new leaves are growing further up the twigs.

My bay trees are 10'+ tall so I happily take complete branches out and attack them with loppers.
Your bay tree may be a lot smaller but, since they can be clipped into shapes (like Bramble's) you could start by taking off some of the new shoots - and use them as cuttings.

[greenishfing]

Must say that despite complete and utter neglect at the back of the greenhouse border I have an Oregano plant and a French Tarragon plant looking unbelievably healthy. They were planted last Spring and I hadn't even opened the greenhouse door since I dug the tomatoes and peppers up in the Autumn.

[Vegi potager]

^^^ I had moved a few containers of herbs into the GH for winter last Nov. and apart from a splash of water about every 6 weeks or so have neglected them. Happy to say that they all look to be doing well and I will be dividing and re-potting into fresh compost next week end. (French tarragon, mint, spearmint and chocolate mint.) the different thymes and English mace I will leave alone until I move them all back into the garden mid April. That said the thymes and mints etc, that I didn't move into the winter quarters have survived this very mild winter out doors so not much need for further propagation this year.

I will leave the lemon grass and ginger in the GH for the summer.

Sown so far in the way of herbs are:
Lemon grass, curly and flat leaf parsley, Basil (red, Greek, sweet green,) coriander, chamomile, sage (green)

To be sown:
chives sp. and garlic; Dill; Chervil; Summer savoury; cumin; oregano; more coriander, parsley and basil.

To take more cuttings:
Bay, lavender, recumbent rosemary, variegated and purple sage; and to find some more volunteer ginger in the supermarket to grow some more this summer.

[Vegi potager]

Well I have divided 1 full 30cm pot of French tarragon into 6, sown some breed seed poppy (Maanzaad) and some welsh onion.

My 3 tiny pips of wild garlic planted last spring that promptly disappeared have all come up this year There is still only 1 leaf each, but give it time... I have tried to grow from seed, spring, autumn, seed trays, insitu to no avail so I am happy that the plants have survived.

When we get to the 2025 year of this thread I may be cursing that I ever put them in but I can always move

[Sweet savory]

Re bay trees - even in pots I have found they are surprisingly immune to some neglect.Mine is growing well despite haphazard watering.
Re mint I top dress mine every year with compost and bfb.It is planted in bottomless pot and shooting well currently.
tomorrow I think I will get parsley, namesake and chervil seeds into pots.

[Vegi potager]

I know it is spring because I had the BIGGEST bumble bee checking out the rosemary Too slow running to get my phone, so just the flowers shown here...

[Vegi potager]

The bay in its pot is in full flower and smells so sweet... just don't get poked in the eye when bending over to sniff

[Vegi potager]

I cheated and brought a super market basil to add to the rest I am growing from seed to get ahead start. only 49p for a small pot, but divide into 4 or more potting 3-4 stems together to grow on.