Herbs can grow outside or inside, but are a great candidate for container gardening. And if you are growing tomatoes, well any basil grows wonderfully in the tomato pot or right next to it.. the two plants love each other..lol
herbs
- Thread starter peter pepper
- Start date
while out today I bought the following: cilantro, sweet basil, oregano, vivian lettuce (romaine type), iceburg A lettuce, and green onion. Is there anything wrong with starting these indoors now? or should I wait to start these outside? My last avg. frost date is May 15th so I have 2.5 months till then. Any input from those who grow these would be great. thanks.
theres nothing wrong with starting herbs before plant out. you dont have to plant lettuce before plantout, its fine to plant them outside as seed (even for here, so you should be fine)
as for onions, I'll say its easier to buy onion sets than start from seed, I mean onions do grow fast yes!
but when its cheap enough to buy several onion bulbs at the stores, IMO why deal with onion seeds.
onion seeds will sprout within a couple days.
as for onions, I'll say its easier to buy onion sets than start from seed, I mean onions do grow fast yes!
but when its cheap enough to buy several onion bulbs at the stores, IMO why deal with onion seeds.
onion seeds will sprout within a couple days.
lostmind said:
An old bed sheet! As a kid we used a cotton tobacco canvas but they are hard to find in the city, plus they are at lest 50 feet long. Plus, a sheet covers more than enough room for the amount we use, especially if I sow a couple feet once a month. When I reach the end, I can start over.
Mike
lost,
Lettuce doesn't need a lot of light. My sheets are not new - they usually are the ones that have seen their fair share of washing machines and dryers.
We sowed seeds as soon as the ground thawed and dried out enough to work in. It usually took 2-3 weeks (depending on the weather) to germinate but frosts or freezes didn't seem to hurt it, unless maybe those seeds at a specific point of germination. Considering Frost Free is May 15, and the seeds were up by April 1 or so, I'm sure they saw their share of cold weather.
As I noted to Pam, I had a head of lettuce still growing in January this year, well after a couple of very heavy freezes and even a snowfall or two.
BTW, we grew Black Seeded Simpson, a loose leaf variety.
Mike
Lettuce doesn't need a lot of light. My sheets are not new - they usually are the ones that have seen their fair share of washing machines and dryers.
We sowed seeds as soon as the ground thawed and dried out enough to work in. It usually took 2-3 weeks (depending on the weather) to germinate but frosts or freezes didn't seem to hurt it, unless maybe those seeds at a specific point of germination. Considering Frost Free is May 15, and the seeds were up by April 1 or so, I'm sure they saw their share of cold weather.
As I noted to Pam, I had a head of lettuce still growing in January this year, well after a couple of very heavy freezes and even a snowfall or two.
BTW, we grew Black Seeded Simpson, a loose leaf variety.
Mike
A tip on sowing lettuce:
Find some really fine dirt and pound it until it is almost dust or run it through a sieve to get out large pieces. Dry it completely, even in a microwave. Depending on how much room you plan to sow, I would have 2 quarts to a gallon or more. Mix some lettuce seeds into the dirt and I mean mix. For 10-15 minutes or more. Then sow the dirt/seed mixture, going over the area several times and stay close to the ground if there is any type of breeze at all. If you do it right and get lucky (!) you should not have to worry about thinning the bed later.
Mike
Find some really fine dirt and pound it until it is almost dust or run it through a sieve to get out large pieces. Dry it completely, even in a microwave. Depending on how much room you plan to sow, I would have 2 quarts to a gallon or more. Mix some lettuce seeds into the dirt and I mean mix. For 10-15 minutes or more. Then sow the dirt/seed mixture, going over the area several times and stay close to the ground if there is any type of breeze at all. If you do it right and get lucky (!) you should not have to worry about thinning the bed later.
Mike
Ciao Potawie-
Florence Fennel grows in our Zone 5 Toronto garden and it naturalizes, self-seeds and comes back every year. If you grow it for bulbs, that's another matter and I'm going to try doing that in a whiskey barrel this season. They must be blanched, like leeks, to keep the white colour as they grow. If you want seeds for your sausages, just PM me. I have enough if tomorrow all of Rome, including the Pope, showed up for a barbeque. Where do you get your Mexican Oregano? I was thinking of phoning Richters to see if they had it as a plant. I don't intend on trying to grow it from seed.
Florence Fennel grows in our Zone 5 Toronto garden and it naturalizes, self-seeds and comes back every year. If you grow it for bulbs, that's another matter and I'm going to try doing that in a whiskey barrel this season. They must be blanched, like leeks, to keep the white colour as they grow. If you want seeds for your sausages, just PM me. I have enough if tomorrow all of Rome, including the Pope, showed up for a barbeque. Where do you get your Mexican Oregano? I was thinking of phoning Richters to see if they had it as a plant. I don't intend on trying to grow it from seed.
Txclosetgrower said:I used to mow vacant soldiers housing on Ft. Hood when I worked at this lawn care place, and a few of the yards had mint that had naturalized itself. I love the smell of freshly mowed mint
I love the smell of mint and bourbon,mint in a Mohito aint half bad either.Cilantro must be grown in spring and fall here,and it doesn't like full sun.I use it roots and all in my Thai Street Chicken.My chives last all year here but they can also be dehydrated easily,they are blooming now and the flowers are good in salads.We grow tarragon,my wife makes the best salad dressing
I've ever had from it.Its a classic,Green Goddess.I have a pretty unusual Basil,its called Indian Basil.I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet,I usually throw a few crumpled leaves and some split Lemongrass(another) into a pot of Jasmin rice.(Yes I have Indian Basil seeds avail)Smells like curry.
There is a woman here who steeps various herbs in Vineger,She gets like $18 a bottle.Its organic but she is always at the farmers markets and street fairs here.She has perfected several different types.We are lucky to grow most year round here and hit them pretty hard.Its my first year for the stevia and I'm anxious to try it.