November Meeting: 10 Tips to Growing a Healthy Herb Garden

What a treat we had today during our special Seagrape Circle program led by Chris from 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Chris had a fantastic selection of herbs and is PACKED with knowledge.

I always bring my iPad with me to meetings to take notes and today I brought home four pages of digital scribble that was begging to be organized, typed out and shared so here are the highlights of what I learned today.

10 Tips to Growing Herbs

𝟭. 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘.

They do best in pots or raised beds. They love to be watered but don’t keep a dish under the pot to collect water.

𝟮. 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗡.

While herbs may look delicate, most are pretty darn tough. If your herbs get leggy, chances are it’s searching for more light.

𝟯. 𝗡𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗛.

Herbs like a neutral PH of 6-6.5 and they don’t need a lot of fertilizer. If they turn yellow, the PH may be off. Chris suggests getting a PH tester for optimal results.

𝟰. 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟.

Fall is the best time to plant herbs so now’s the time to start your herb garden! (Great timing Seagrape!)

𝟱. 𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧-𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗗.

If you have ever bought cilantro and it died 2 months later, you haven’t lost your touch. Cilantro, which Chris called the “6 week plant” doesn’t last long. If you love Cilantro but you want a plant that lasts year round, he suggested Culantro. Same great taste all year!

𝟲. 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗢 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟.

If you have had a hard time growing oregano (especially during the hot season), standard Mediterranean Oregano doesn’t like the humid Florida heat. Instead, try Cuban Oregano or Puerto Rican Oregano. It can take the heat much better than Mediterranean herbs.

𝟳. 𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧.

Established basil, mint and rosemary (opposed to new baby plants) are herbs that do well in summer. TIP: Chris sells Downy Mildew resistant basil so be sure to look for that. Downy mildew has been the most common disease of basil in the US.

𝟴. 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗘𝗦.

The roots of the fennel release a chemical that inhibits the growth of a lot of plants and dill plants have a similar effect. It’s best to keep those in pots since they don’t play well with others. Basil, on the other hand, is a great match with Tomatoes.

𝟵. 𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗠𝗥𝗜 (𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗟).

Chris suggests Whitney Farms organic raised bed mix available at ACE. It is higher in nitrogen and it even has worm castings in it (otherwise known as worm poo ) – although he suggested adding even more, as well as adding 5% course sand for more drainage support. (OMRI stands for Organic Materials Review Institute)

𝟭𝟬. 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗦.

OK, so this wasn’t his verbiage but he did say we should cut the tops (ends) off the herbs to help them bush out more, instead of being tempted to grab a whole stem. Even if you have some herbs you don’t use a lot, be sure to keep them trimmed back like your other plants for the healthiest, fullest looking plant.

𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗢𝗦:

Rosemary, Sage and Thyme make a beautiful herb garden and they all like the same soil, water and setting.