Lemon Thyme
Hello and Welcome to Spring,
I was asked a little while back by a friend about how to grow and keep herbs alive. I have had many different types of herbs growing over the years and some grew like weeds while others were very hard to maintain.
I now know what herbs I can grow inside and outside and how to sow, plant and maintain them.
It is not as simple as it can sound on paper and I’ve learned the hard way, now you can benefit from my Irish and temperate weather dos and don’t.
Sweet Monas Dill Flower
I try if possible to grow from seed as this makes them hardier in your environment and you will have many if some fail. I also try to buy Irish grown plants. Most good Gardening centres should supply them. I start the seeds off inside with lots of water and heat. If your buying Plants, March and April are a good time to start replanting them as the frost should be gone and the roots will be fine.
I get most of my seeds from The Irish Seed Savers, in Co Clare. They have many Irish and heirloom varieties of everything from apples to onions. Find them on this link http://irishseedsavers.ie/
My Tips
– The first thing is, are they going to be kept indoors or outside and secondly what kind of herbs are they, as some are hardier than others.
– I like to grow Basil and Coriander inside as they need a bit more heat.
– I then like to grow Mint, Rosemary, Dill, Lemon balm, Thyme and Oregano outside as they are a lot hardier, but will grow indoors just fine.
Mint
– Herbs love the sun and the heat and will flourish on a sunny window or in a sunny corner of the garden.
– I have all my plants in Pots, as I grow on my Balcony Garden. I am lucky as it gets sun all day long and can be very warm.
– Herbs do not like to be over watered and need good drainage, It’s the number one cause of failing plants, especially indoors.
-Water them well and make sure they drain well and are not left standing in water. Let them dry out a little before watering them again. If they are in the ground, they should be in well-drained soil and it will happen naturally.
– If your planting in the ground, and especially with mint as it can take over your garden and spread like a weed, leave it in a big pot in the ground. This will contain the roots.
– Feed them a little once a week in the main growing season with nitrogen rich natural or organic fertiliser. I also like to keep my used ground coffee and add that to the soil as its high in nitrogen. Eggs shells are great also, bake them and grind them in to a fine powder and add to the soil or on top of the soil to keep away slugs.
– When it comes to the dreaded green fly (aphids) who love anything young fresh and green, to keep them away I use a spray with a solution of 1/2 litre of distilled water and 10 drops of tea tree oil and 10 drops of lime oil. I used it all last year inside and out and it really works. Its natural and toxin free.
Golden Oregano
– Cut them back once in a while to promote new growth especially mint as it gets very ratty and dried out looking.
-In the Autumn when you see they have stopped growing, trim all the out-door herbs well back as to allow the growth for the next year to flourish.
Flat Leaf Parsley
I do hope that these tips help and if you have any more questions please contact me on this blog or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thegreengreengate/
Happy Growing,
Kind Regards
Sarah