Question
I love cooking with herbs but either the ones I need are not available locally or they are very expensive.  I would like to put together a small garden or window box growing the following.  flat leaf parcely, chives, basil. cilantro, dill, shallots, and perhaps others that you might suggest.

I would need to know how large the garden would need be and what kind of soil and plant foods might be required.  I would be starting from scratch so any information would be appreciated as well as likely costs.
Thank you for taking my question.

Jack L. Gaither
Lake Seminole, Georgia (as far southwest as you can get in Georgia without being in Florida.)

Answer
Jack:
Some growing tips to follow. All plants need a east location and full, early morning sun. Basil must be planted when night temps are 60+. No exception. The seeds should be planted on top of the soil, uncovered and pressed into the soil. Soil should be sterile wih no chemical additives to it. All others are cool temps and plant now for good growth. Cilantro will bolt to seed as soon as it get hot. Look for slo-bolt or long standing varieties. Sow every 3 weeks. Feed with liquid fish/seaweed or liquid fish for good strong and healthy plants. You want good healthy, instead of large plants that will prduce well in the heat.
Herb Garden-Outdoor Window box should be at least 10-12" deep. Plants will be crowded, so keet them pruned. Take at least 1/3 of new growth every 3 weeks and fertilze at the same time. Good luck mail back at anytime.

Leroy

99% Chemical-Free herb plants since 1981.

[email protected]



Welcome! to the wonderful world of herbs. Plants given to us by the GOD of this universe for our health and enjoyment. You can grow some of these plants with a good attitude, location and soil. Do your homework on the varieties that you want to grow. Use more than ( 1 ) reference and talk to your herb neighbors, friends, grandparents, Mom and Dad and especially your ethnic associates. Information not in books can be found through these resources. Growing from seed will not be discussed. You may write or call.
The best resource is ( Tom De Baggio's book )

Area and Preparation:

An area facing east, south or southeast are the best. You want the morning sun first. I have found that areas getting the 11:00 am sun does not do as well as the early sun. Especially trying to grow basil in this time frame. The soil should be well drained and NO CLAY!  Poor soils tend to produce more aromatic foliage, while richer soils produce less aromatic, but more foliage. All soils can benefit with the addition of organic matter such as compost, manure compost, dug to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. If soil is not clay, but heavy soil, you can add sand and mix well. If you can see the particles when you hold some in your hand, then it is enough. Remove all debris and weeds from the area.

For shade tolerant herbs, such as chervil, japanese parsley (Mitsuba), culantro, sweet cicely, some mints, sweet woodruff, cardamom, sweet flag(calamus), gotu kola, and angelica. There may be more, but not many for shade. These should receive a few hours of morning sun and the rest of the day in shade. If you notice that the herbs are stretching for the sunlight and are leggy in appearance, then it needs more morning sun. Put these in the next subject...POTS.

CONTAINER GROWING:

I have added another name to garden growing, if its not already there. The name is "Garbalogist". A little classy name for those who take any type of item that is considered as garbage and use it to produce a garden. Container gardens are for the following: Don't have any space; Too tired to dig in the ground after work;
I want it close to the house; The disabled; I am afraid of bugs; I can't stay in the sun; I am overweight; To teach my children; and many more.

No more excuses! Let's grow. Your containers can be 5-gallon plastic buckets that are cleaned well. Do not use those that you know have had chemicals in them. If in doubt, soak the container with 1-quart of bleach with 5 gallons of water for 3 days.
Soak your smaller containers in this solution also.  ALWAYS USE HAND AND EYE PROTECTION WHEN USING BLEACH.                                                            

Have someone drill ( 3 ) 1/2 to 1 inch holes in the bottom of your plastic bucket. Add 2-inches of gravel or sand. During the summer heat, the buckets have a tendency to dry out quicker. I mulch the top of the container with straw or leaves. I place the container in a basin and fill the basin with water up to the rim once every ( 3 ) days. If it rains well at least twice a week, I do not water. Also empty the basin if it has rained well so the roots won't stay too wet.                                                                                                     

The 5 gallon are excellent for tomatoes, peppers, dill, basil, mint, echinacea, eucalyptus, fennel, fenugreek, lavender, lemon grass, licorice, greek oregano, parsley, chives, patchouli, sages, sorrel, southernwood, st. johnswort, stevia, tansy, tarragon, thyme, valerian, lemon verbena, wormwood, yerba bruja.

These are mostly deep root plants and need the space. You won't have to transplant them as often. Your other varieties can be grown in containers that are no less than ( 10 ) inches in depth. You will now find these in nurseries. A few years ago, only the 6-inch deep planter boxes were available. They can be found at most garden supply stores. The 10-inch deep by 24-inch long are priced from $7.00 to $18.00 and up. So far I have found Wal-Mart with the cheapest ones.    

See the ( HERBMAN'S HARDINESS CODE SHEET ) before planting.  Purchase your hardy herbs first, tender second and annuals third. Keep track with your 5-day weather forecast on TV or internet for your area.
Put 3 to 4 plants in a 24" planter, 4 to 6 plants in a 36" planter. If herbs are the creeping type, then constant pruning will be needed to keep it under control. The plants should have some space between them for good air circulation.

Place mint in a smaller pot and place the pot into the planter, unless you want a planter full of mint. It still must be taken out of the pot and trimmed back to a 3" square and re-potted again, and then place back into the planter. Check the mint's growth at least once a month.


If you have purchased plants from a nursery, before planting them in a planter or in the ground, do the following:

?  Squeeze pot gently as you pull the plant out.
?  Trim off any dead or broken stems. Also any flowers. Don't worry you will get more and better ones too.
?  Look for insect infestation if you forgot to do so at the nursery. See                  ( Homemade Insect Spray Sheet ).
?  Cut 1/4 of bottom of a heavily rooted plant. Cut into all 4 sides at least   ( 3 ) times or until side roots are loose. You are now ready to plant.
?  Open hole in the soil to 1" more on each side of the plant. Set plant 1/2" deeper than in the pot. Cover with soil.  If soil is already moist, give 1/2 pint of diluted  Seaweed/Fish fertilizer;  not moist, give 1 pint. If it is cloudy and rain is forecast, give only 1/2 pint. If a real heavy downpour is expected, move plants to a shelter. Heavy rains on newly planted herbs can sometimes hinder their growth if in water too long. Good drainage is very important. If planting in the ground, cover with anything to protect the plant from the force of the rain. Uncover after storm, especially in the morning before the sun gets too hot.

POTTING SOIL

So many mixes and brands.  Use only the bagged soil that is free of chemicals. The really cheap stuff can sometimes burn your plants. You can get a sterile potting soil mix ( perlite, vermiculite and sphagnum moss ) already mixed  or buy them separately and mix them in equal parts yourself. There is also potting mixes for container gardening. I don't know the results of this mix, so if in doubt, add 1/2 of sterile potting mix with this.

All containers have drain holes, so I don't add any gravel at the bottom. With this container mix add a dry organic fertilizer. If readily available, add kelp meal also. The dry meal or liquid kelp is not easily found in garden centers. I will carry the liquid kelp and dry kelp meal and let you know where to get larger amounts.

If you have good garden soil, you can use this in your containers. Save a bucket of rain water for your plants the first time. Put tap water in a bucket and allow to sit at least  ( 3 ) days for chlorine to dissipate. Save rain and or tap water in a 55 gallon drum if you can.