Choosing herbs for container gardening

.Choosing herbs for container gardening can be a fantastic. pastime or hobby: teas, salads, cooking, spices, the works! These plants love to be loved. The more you give to them the more they will reward you. Yes, we love to grow all the herbs possible, the results are so gratifying.

Most herbs can be grown in containers, and choosing herbs for container gardening is great fun.

Myself, I prefer to start them in recycled containers until they are ready to be potted on- containers such as milk cartons, take-away trays, plastic drink bottles, etc. You can use just about anything as long as you insert drainage holes in the bottom.

Choosing herbs for container gardening is easy as most herbs are a snatch to produce if grown in conditions that suit. Ok let’s get into it.

Container clues: choosing herbs for container gardening.

Anyone with a balcony, courtyard or small backyard can grow a splendid array of herbs in a comparatively small space by using a variety of containers.

Windows boxes, hanging baskets, urns or old sinks can all be made suitable homes for herbs. Just be careful in the summer months that the containers do not dry out.

Test with a finger 2.5cm, or 1 inch into the potting mix, and if it feels dry, the plants need watering.

Hanging baskets are prone to drying out as they are more exposed. Line them with sphagnum moss, plastic, bark, or special fiber available at nurseries and garden centers.

During the growing season liquid feed your plants every two weeks to keep them healthy and vigorous.

Repotting and choosing herbs for container gardening

The best time for herbs to be repotted is in spring, just before they burst into life!

Wash pots in soapy water to be sure the pot is not holding any damaging microbes or spores.

Remove all the old roots from the bottom of the container; slightly squeeze around the outside of the pot, hold the plant with your hand, invert pot, and remove. Now repot your favorite herbs into your container and await its new wonderful flush.

Choosing herbs for container gardening tips

Your favorite and most popular herbs are listed below in alphabetical order.

Basil

Common names Includes English, French, Italian, Spanish

Botanical Lavandula vera, L officinalis or L spica,L dentate, L stoechas

.Growth habits Perennial to one meter, silvery grey leaves and classic spikes of blue purple flowers perennial to one meter. Small lavender flowers perennial to 30cm deep purple flowers, many varieties of lavender available, with white, pink, green, blue, and purple flowers, full sun and rich well drained potting mix

Propagation Seeds in punnets or cuttings, spring or autumn

Growing Give lavenders full sun. A very well-draining potting mix is essential. Don’t over-water in winter. A mixed fertilizer with a high phosphorous, high potash has been successful overseas enabling a higher oil content. You can also layer lavender to produce more plants, and cuttings strike readily.

Common name includes sweet basil: bush basil

Botanical Ocymum basilicum: O. minimum

Growth Habits Annual 15 to 60cm, small white flowers and shiny oval leaves, full sun or semi shade, moist rich well-drained potting mix.

Propagation Seed: sow direct late spring or early summer

Growing

This wonderful herb is used in many countries. For pot culture, use a container 18cm to 20 cm in diameter with rich potting mix based on sandy loam.

Sow 3 or 4 seeds near the center of the pot and retain the strongest. The others can be pricked out placed into the garden or other containers.

Keep well watered and add liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Pots indoors should be kept in full sun.

Stumpy's Tip- 1 Early pinching out of the tip bud encourages more compact growth. 2 Use a high nitrogen based fertilizer to increase leaf growth. 3 Start in a mini greenhouse in the beginning of Spring for early mature plants. 4. Grow with its favorite companion, Tomato for extra health and vigor.

Chives

Common name Garlic and Onion Chives

Botanical Allium schoenoprasum

Growth habits Perennial to 20cm, long thin strap like leaves with purple flowers, moist rich potting mix, sun or semi shade

Propagation Seeds direct or plant bulb divisions, spring summer or autumn, 2ocm apart

Growing Chives are miniature onions which if untrimmed will grow to 60cm. The small bulbs will multiply into quite large clumps and the leaves are bright green, hollow and slender.

Chives will grow best in all containers if placed in full, they will also tolerate some partial shade, and windows, if placed in a warm well lit position.

Stumpies Tip Place bulbs 20 cm apart, Don’t continually cut the leaves as it will starve the bulbs, Clip off the older leaves to let new growth come through,

Coriander

Common name Chinese parsley, cilantro

Botanical Coriandrum sativum

Growth habits Annual to 60cm, parsley like leaves and pink-white flowers, full sun, light potting mix, protect from winds.

Propagation Seeds direct spring or early summer,30cm apart, thin out. Seeds germinate in 5 to 10 days

Growing Full sun suits this wonderful herb, but shade plants from afternoon sun in hot summer areas.

If repotting, transplant before the tap root gets too long. Coriander is fine in a window with at least 4 hours full sun or near direct light.

Flowering takes about two months from sowing.

Stumpy's Tip Raise your seedling first in a small homemade terrarium,or mini greenhouse to get an early start.

If using leaves for cooking and salad, sow every two weeks.

Common names African or black ginger

Botanical Zingiber officinale

Growth habits Perennial to 1.5 meters, spikes of white and purple flowers, semi shade, well drained potting mix, add a little lime

Growing

Grow in a semi-shaded place with morning sun and use an all-round slow release fertilizer.

Start your plants in quite a large container and keep above 15 degrees in winter.

Stumpy's Tip Sprinkle a light mixture of mulch until the first growth appears and keep the roots cool and moist. (Old Cow and Horse poo is great)not smmmelly!

Lavender

Common names Includes English, French, Italian, Spanish

Botanical Lavandula vera, L officinalis or L spica,L dentate, L stoechas

Growth habits Perennial to one meter, silvery grey leaves and classic spikes of blue purple flowers perennial to one meter. Small lavender flowers perennial to 30cm deep purple flowers, many varieties of lavender available, with white, pink, green, blue, and purple flowers, full sun and rich well drained potting mix

Propagation

Seeds in punnets or cuttings, spring or autumn

Growing

Give lavenders full sun and it is essential for a very well drained potting mix. Don’t over water in winter. A mixed fertilizer with a high phosphorous,

high potash has been successful overseas to produce a higher oil content.

Stumpy's tip Layer your lavender to produce more plants. To layer, use an old coat hanger bent over like a peg. Put a little soil over the stem and keep moist,in 2-3 weeks remove the stem and ''voila'' you will have another Lavender to plant out or give to a friend. Lavenders also strike from cuttings easily!

Common name Lemon grass

Botanical Cymbopogan citratus

Growth habits Perennial to 2 meters, long slender leaves, full sun, rich potting mix

Propagation Plant division

Growing Lemon grass appreciates copious watering, full sun and a rich potting mix. Lemon grass can be grown in subtropical and tropical regions. Out of these areas a glass house is a must.

Stumpies Tip Divide clumps as they multiply to allow space in the container and place in a warm full sun sheltered position.

Common names Hamburg,Italian, flat leaved and curly

Botanical Petroselinum crispum

Growth habits Biennial 15 to 60cm, flat or curly leaves and yellow flowers, full sun or shade, moist well drained soil, semi shade, moist rich potting mix

Propagation Seeds direct in spring, summer or autumn, 20cm apart

Growing

Apply shade or filtered light to most varities, full sun in cold regions or winter in warm regions. Well drained potting mix and a balanced slow release fertilizer.

There are hundreds of herbs out there just awaiting for your particular taste or style. We have only included some of our favorites for now and plan to add more in the future. So stay tuned for more choice herbs for container gardening in the near future. Use up coming links to find more relative information.

Happy Gardening

Marty Ware and Stumpy

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Stumpy's hot tip(choosing herbs for container gardening) (Grow parsley under your tomatoes in a large pot to provide beneficial shade and extra flavor to your favored Tomatoes.)

We hope you enjoyed choosing herbs for container gardening. This site is full of great information about herbs,check out our other pages!

Check out Stumpy's recommended retail read!Companion Planting Learn How To Design An Organic Food System Where Your Plants Do The Work, Creating A High Yield, Healthy, Beautiful Garden. Click Here!

Thanks for visiting Choosing Herbs for Container Gardening. We will have more herbs information coming in the future Happy Gardening Marty and Stumpie

choosing herbs for container gardening (companion planting)