till the soil 12″-24″ deep
mix in 6″ layer of compost or sphagnum peat moss to top 12″
add a little perlite to improve drainage
a little organic fertilizer helps
ph = 6-7 1/2
water herbs at the ground. they are soft stemmed & susceptible to fungus when wet
Basil
Basil – um – pinch as it grows. can grow 2 feet tall. sun or partial shade. moderately rich soil. keep it watered.
Catnip
Catnip (perennial) Nepeta cataria – member of the mint family – also a tea – 2-3′ tall and wide – prefers moist, light, rich soil – some shade
Chamomile
Chamomile – Roman (perennial) Chamaemelum nobile – 10″ – good ground cover – acidic, rich soil. sun.
Chives
Chives – Allium schoenoprasum (perennial) 12-18″ – rich soil – sun or partial shade
Dill
Dill – Anethum graveolens (annual) – 3-4′ – average, well-drained soil – sun
Lavender
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia (perennial)1-3′ – dry, alkaline sandy soil – full sun
Parsley – Petroselinum crispum (biennial) – 8-12″ – rich, well-drained soil, sun or partial shade *love parsley in arrangements & bouquets!*
Rosemary
Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis (perennial) – 2-3′ = normal – best conditions, 6′ sandy, well-drained soil – full sun or partial shade
Sage – Salvia officinalis (perennial) – 2′ – well-drained, neutral soil – full sun
Thyme
Thyme – Thymus vulgaris (perennial) – 1′ – dry, sandy soil – full sun
Want an herb you can’t find? Check out Gilberties, located in Connecticut, they are the largest herb farm in the country.
I think I have edible chives in my flower pot! The plant looks like your picture when it flowers, which it started flowering a couple weeks ago here in GA and still has flowers on it. We are having baked potatoes tonight and wondered if we could have them w sour cream and chives but wanted to make sure was indeed edible chives. This may be a really stupid question, sorry for that. Thank you
Hi Brenda:
There are no stupid questions! If the plant has tall, green, hollow stems with purple round flowers at the top, they may be chives!
Chives are from the onion family. You can cut them easily with scissors and they should smell faintly of onions. Don’t eat the flower! If you want remove the flowers, it will encourage even more plant growth. Isn’t it a beautiful edible plant?
Enjoy!
Should I cut off the flowering tops of the broad leaf basil?
I was told if left on, there would be more plants but it hasn’t
happened. Also, the smaller leaf basil has little taste compared to
the broad leaf basil. Is that typical?
I always cut before flowering so that they don’t seed but keep spreading. Also, I’ve read that, once they go to seed, they get more bitter tasting. If you get seed, you can germinate and replant. Experiment and let me know!
As for the broad leaf basil, do I cut them when the stem is still soft or has harden? The more I trim, the more ‘bald’ it became. Pls help! :) tq.
Furzanne: Rather than just taking off leaves, you always want to pinch off from the top. When you take the top down, it makes the bottom bush out. Hope this helps!
Tq! :) It gives me hope yet to replanting this herb. I have since stop planting this herb as it always die on me. Will get a new plant n hope that it ‘live’ this time. ;) Btw, am staying in Malaysia, a hot n humid country. Thank you again n will let you know how I fare with planting this herb again. Oh, can Lavender plant survive in this weather?
Furzanne: Many herbs love Malaysia but I’m not sure about lavender. It actually prefers well drained soil and can handle drought better than being wet so it may be too wet and humid there. Try. Good luck, and let us know how it works out!