Herbs in Containers ?
 

My wife and I are interested in growing some herbs this year. We are both new to growing anything in containers .

First, we have not bought any containers yet. The containers that we are thinking of using will be easy to move. That way when we have 100+ degree days, we can bring them inside near windows. I have those long narrow type planters in mind, but would appreciate advice. Something like this [URL]http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southern-Patio-Newbury-24-in-Light-Terra-Poly-Window-Box-with-Saucer-NW2412LT/204496682[/URL]

We also have not bought the mix either. About the mix that goes in the containers - would Pro Mix do well, or do we need to buy something else? Pictured below.

We also have not chose which herbs to grow yet - other than cilantro. We will most likely grow chives too, and after that ??? Got Any Ideas?

We want to buy the seeds this upcoming Wednesday March 1. I need to either buy some starter mix, or if the pro mix will work in the containers - I'll just use pro mix to get them started in cells.

herbs
 

I grow Parsley, Rosemary, Scallions, Carrots, Chives, Cilantro all in 2 or 3 gal containers.

Hoe Farmer

Rosemary and Cilantro, I agree need to go into 3 gallon containers. They will get huge.

Mints, Basils and ones like Dill I always start out in small 3-4" pots and then transplant up if needed. You can easily use those plastic drink cups with holes in the bottom til the plants get big enough to go into larger containers.

Becareful if you decide to use those narrow planters and are mixing plants together. Some herbs like to be moist and full sun and others like to be dry and somewhat shaded. Mints especially do not like wet feet.

And mint only in a pot by itself!

I grow basil in 1 gal containers on a regular basis. I usually start all my herbs in a sterile seed starting mix and then transplant them into the gallon containers with a mix similar to what you have.

We have mint growing out in a garden for 4 years now. It spreads quickly too. We grew sage two years. It overwintered here. It was also planted in ground along with some cilantro.

I've never planted herbs in a pot though. I've read many different conflicting things about the mix to use. Some people say to use some composted cow manure - yet others say not to. Some use organic means - while others use man-made fertilizers. (Sounds like growing tomatoes...:lol:)

Your promix will be perfect Robert. a large pot or half barrel can be used for a mixed herb garden too.
Whatever you decide be sure to keep your herb pots near the house where you can nip out the door quick anytime for a sprig of fresh this or that for your cooking. I find I use mine much more often than if they were in the garden.

There's a compact basil I like for containers called Emily.

Rosemary plants do well in containers, but if you start it from seed, it is one of the slowest-growing plants I have ever raised. It's easier to just buy a plant. Oregano is pretty slow, too.

Cilantro is easy as a young plant, but always seems to inevitably bolt for me. Multiple plantings are the way to go.

Don't waste a container on rosemary just plant it in the ground it has survived 10 degree weather here.
Heavy rain not so well, it needs to be well drained but even crappy soil.
Plus DO NOT hit it with nitrogen fertilizer.

worth

Thank you all for the replies. I now have a better idea of what to look for when shopping.

I'm glad the pro mix will work fine.

I bought that planter at Home Depo in black. This is how it worked out with two of them lined up in front of a window. Did you mean something like this?

[URL=http://s8.photobucket.com/user/Sue_CT/media/Herb%20Garden/4627D8E3-68D6-44BE-AFF8-C654673CE8E7_zpswvr37pyb.jpg.html][IMG]http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/Sue_CT/Herb%20Garden/4627D8E3-68D6-44BE-AFF8-C654673CE8E7_zpswvr37pyb.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I would only grow chives and mint in individual pots or they will take over. I picked up grocery store potted herbs for this since it was a winter herb garden and I wanted to use them for cooking more quickly. Seeds would be cheaper of course. I did not have a large enough window with enough sun here in the north east so they went under the florescent lights I use to start my tomato plants. I used Miracle Grow potting mix. They grew like wildfire. They had no trouble with these containers. The longer you plan to keep them going, the fewer I would put in each pot so they have more room to grow. The more often you cook with them and harvest them the more you will keep them to a reasonable size. It is easy to thin them out when needed or even pull out a plant or two if they get too crowded a and replace them with more soil to give the remaining plants more room as long as you do it before they get completely pot bound. Obviously you can also buy longer planters or more of the shorter planters to fit whatever space you have inside.

Yes, in fact on the Home Depot site, I chose the earthtone/orange color before copying the link. Sue, I really like your herb garden.

Sue, we were typing at the same time. :)

Thanks. :) I like them because I have a small outdoor herb garden in the summer and wanted something inexpensive that would fit in front of a window for a winter garden. I can't grow tomatoes in the winter in this part of the country, but I can have fresh torn basil on top of the pizza or spaghetti I make with tomato sauce I made from garden tomatoes.

My own most frequently used herbs that I like to grow are Chives, Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary and Cilantro. The Cliantro is a short lived herb, though, so easier for me to buy it than keep replanting successive plantings of it in a pot. I would spend the 1.99 it costs for a rosemary plant rather than grow it from seed. It lives forever, making a plant a good buy, but grows slowly from seed. But it all depends on what you like to cook with. So I personally would stick with the first 5 I listed, and buy the Rosemary plant. Only 4 to start from seed then. JMHO

Rosemary roots very easily. I had some foot long stems grow roots in a vase of water without trying to root them. They stayed green a long time until I noticed they were ready to grow rather than go into the compost. A nice surprise.

Chives, Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary and Cilantro. Out of those five, I have no idea what Rosemary tastes like.

My interest in growing some herbs that can grow inside and outside comes from curiosity and wanting to grow plants during the dog days of summer - Also basically learning how to grow plants in containers.

When I mentioned this to my wife, she was and is still excited - for me, that is the reason I made this thread and asked for all of the advise.

Rosemary is classic with roasted potatoes. It also goes great with most meats, especially Chicken, Pork and Lamb. It is an herb that does not break down and soften as much as most in cooking so I usually chop it up nice and fine. It has its own flavor to me, so its hard to describe. Pick one blade off a sprig at the store and taste it. They won't even notice, promise. :) Go to foodnetwork.com and search for rosemary potatoes and rosemary chicken recipes. It is a fairly strong herb, so if you don't like it, you won't want to use it.

Sue, between your (Post #18) and Worth's (Post #9) - I know where I'm going to plant Rosemary.

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary[/URL]

It is a perennial. Rosmarinus officinalis - a fragrant evergreen - can withstand drought - plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates - Rosemary grows on friable loam soil with good drainage in an open, sunny position - It grows best in neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7–7.8)

That is our gardens. Our PH is 6.7, but I know how to increase the alkaline.

I like to make a brush out of rosemary and heat it in oil but not fry just heat.
If the rosemary is growing sticky this resin will infuse the oil.
Then use the brush to paint a pork roast or chicken while it is dry roasting.
Salt garlic powder black pepper and rosemary will make one of the best cuts of meat you have ever had in your life.
It is also one of the best ways to cook a pork roast or chicken in a BBQ pit without a bunch of smoke.
Use the infused oil to hot pan fry a cheap cut of meat steak in a skillet to no more than medium rare.
Eye of round does great like this cooked rare.
A good cheap brand of olive oil is the best choice.
EVO olive oil is a total waste to cook with at high heat.
Bay leaves and rosemary are the only two herbs I have and grow.

Another option is to take a pound of butter and slowly cook the water out of it and then let the solids caramelize a wee bit with the rosemary and black pepper in it at the end before you take it off the heat.

You dont want to overheat rosemary or cook it too long as it will cook off the aromatics in the risen.
Most herbs do best put in right at the end of the cooking process.
If done for to long or too high a heat it can bring out unsavory flavors.
Worth

An old gardening book I have says that rosemary is grown as a hedge in the South of France and is thought to purify the air. Whether true or not it is a nice idea that crosses my mind when I brush against it in the garden bringing out its aroma.

I wish I could over-winter rosemary in my climate. It would make an interesting high tunnel project for the winter months.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;621954]I wish I could over-winter rosemary in my climate. It would make an interesting high tunnel project for the winter months.[/QUOTE]

There is no reason you cant where you live just keep it from (((extreme)))) cold.

Rosemary will grow into a fairly large shrub in warm climates, which I am always jealous of. I certainly have known about using rosemary to baste meats but since it is a smaller slower growing herb in my climate, it would take a month or two to regrow a branch large enough to do that with. I have also heard of taking a larger, stiffer branch of it from a larger shrub of Rosemary and using it as a skewer to make kababs. My rosemary never grows branches that large and sturdy, so it is not an option for me. But I would love to have one of those in my garden!

[QUOTE=SueCT;621971]Rosemary will grow into a fairly large shrub in warm climates, which I am always jealous of. I certainly have known about using rosemary to baste meats but since it is a smaller slower growing herb in my climate, it would take a month or two to regrow a branch large enough to do that with. I have also heard of taking a larger, stiffer branch of it from a larger shrub of Rosemary and using it as a skewer to make kababs. My rosemary never grows branches that large and sturdy, so it is not an option for me. But I would love to have one of those in my garden![/QUOTE]

You want Gorizia Rosemary for this I had about 50 plants and they all drowned.

Long sturdy branches up to 6 feet for kabobs. :yes:

Worth

This will most likely be the Rosemary seeds we will buy [URL]http://www.plantationproducts.com/catalog/cfProduct_Detail.cfm?p=1470&action=calculate#zipForm[/URL] but we will look for other varieties as well.

Some interesting reading about rosemary varieties [URL]https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/rosemary/growing-white-rosemary-plants.htm[/URL]

Link from old thread I started.
I am a rosemary fanatic.:))

Salt I would honestly blow off the seeds and get a plant.
You will die of old age before you get anything.
Even swipe a cutting from the landscape some place if you see it.

[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showpost.php?p=34550&postcount=18[/URL]

:lol: You did my homework for me :yes:

I grow lots of herbs in containers, some with greater success than others. Tarragon and sage are probably my favorites, but I'm also trying summer savory and papalo (a pungent Mexican herb) this year. Some tips I didn't know my first year until it was too late -- pinch back the growing tips of established plants every week or thereabouts to encourage growth, don't water too frequently, and be stingy with the fertilizer on woody herbs like thyme and rosemary. Good luck!

Use Jungle growth it is sold in Lowe's, it is for containers. And 1/4 of Black Kow in the containers. If raining nasty the water will come out of hole. Make 3 or more holes with rocks on the bottom. Here is S.C we have a lot of rain soon, and all plants are in containers.