Herb Gardening

Lesson 1: Lesson One - Pot Herbs Vs. Garden Herbs

Which herbs do best in containers.

WHICH HERBS DO BEST IN CONTAINERS?

Let’s assume that you have made your choice as to what herb plants you would like to try but you are limited in space. A wide variety of herbs do just fine when grown in containers. We will have a list of some of those later in the lesson. Right now we want to concentrate of the containers themselves. Unless you are an experienced container gardener don’t start with any pots that are less than 12 inches in diameter. Anything smaller means more maintenance in regard to watering and general care.

Pots or containers are pretty much the choice of the gardener. Plastic is popular; ceramic, tea and coffee cans, old shoes, you name it, can and most likely has been used by some ingenious gardener. When you have garnered a little experience in the potted herbs I would encourage you to use your imagination in the arena of choosing containers.

Right now, I would advise the old stand-by, terra cotta pots. They have several advantages over anything else you can use, even plastic, in that they allow the plant to ‘breathe’ since their material is porous and allows for adequate air flow. In the heat of summer, terra cotta is great since the evaporation of water from the side actually cools the plant’s roots.

There is a caution here, though, make sure your terra cotta pot has been sufficiently soaked in water before placing your plants in it. If you don’t give the pot a good soaking the sides act like a wick and dry out the plant roots no matter how much water you pour into it.

Another word of caution – if you are going to use recycled pots be sure and wash them thoroughly with soap and hot water. After the first bath, if they still look crusted or dingy, soak them in a solution of water and apple cider vinegar in portions of about a half a cup of vinegar to a gallon of warm water. After you have bathed the pots give them a brief soaking in a solution of water and 10 percent household bleach. This will kill any fungus or disease that might have affected the last inhabitant of the pot.

Now, to the dirt. All dirt is not created equal as you may already know. If you are a beginning gardener, and have opted to plant in containers, I would strongly advise you to purchase the commercial potting mixes which are basically composed of peat, sand, perlite, vermiculite, compost and/or top soil. Note that the last ingredient is the only ‘soil’ in the mix.

The advantage of buying commercially prepared potting mixture is the fact that it has been sterilized. It has also been specifically mixed to allow your plants room to spread their roots without being bogged down in soggy or heavy soil.

Some blends have fertilizer added. I usually avoid those when I am dealing with herbs. A lot of varieties of herbal plants prefer a less rich soil. Be sure and read the information regarding the herb plants you have selected to see what type of soil they prefer. Then read the labels, carefully, on the commercial blends to try and match those preferences as close as possible.

If you decide you want to mix your own soil, the majority of herbs will do well in a blend of two parts peat moss, one part vermiculite and one part perlite. Be sure and blend the mix thoroughly.

A few of the most common choices for container herbals are:

• Basil
• Catnip
• Chamomile
• Chive
• Fennel
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Lemongrass
• Sweet Marjoram
• Mints (all varieties)
• Italian Oregano
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sweet Woodruff

There are others, of course, but this will give you an idea of which might fare well. Some of these will rapidly outgrow the pot conditions and will have to be replaced the next season or transplanted to a traditional garden or raised bed area. More on that later.

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