growing herbs?

Galtizz

I have basil, parsley and thyme on my windowsil. I have bought the plants from the supermarket and they always seem to die on me. I am currently experimenting with seeds - atleast then I can just plant some more seeds if they die!

fazer6

Aldi have compost on offer this week, unfortunatly you missed the aldi and netto seeds but https://www.simpsonsseeds is quite cheap.

I think supermarket ones only last a bit and wouldn't really be a good choice for starting a herb garden. Go with seeds and keep planting new ones every few months so you have a steady supply.

Galtizz

Wilkos had a 3 for 2 offer on seeds a couple of weeks ago, not sure if it's still on. Might be worth a look.

Penny-Wise_4

The supermarket ones can be ok - I’ve had thyme, chives and basil growing for a good few months now on my kitchen windowsill. You do need to feed them though – the compost is not very good quality. I don’t think supermarket flat-leaf parsley or coriander are good at all. As soon as you take them out of their plastic wrappers they wilt and never recover properly – I would grow these from seed.

I also grow baby cut-and-grow-again spinach and rocket on my windowsill – it’s nice to pull a few leaves off to make a salad.

I planted 5 cloves from a bulb of value garlic a couple of weeks back and these are growing well. In a month or two I should have 5 ‘free’ garlic bulbs.

r.mac_2

pennywise - thanks for your tips.

what should I feed the supermarket herb tubs with?
is cut and grow again baby spinach different from normal baby spinach?
do I have to do anything special to the cloves of garlic before planting them?

not ever gardened before!

r.mac

fazer6

Pennywise I've got some rocket seeds too and was planning on planting outside when I had some space. It'd be easier to do inside so does it still grow just as well? How many plants do you reckon I'll need for two people? I don't want to wait for it to grow and then use it all up in a week leaving me with nothing, or end up with much more than I could ever eat!

I've also been thinking of doing garlic, is this an indoor or outdoor thing and how much room would it need? Would it be ok in a pot or should I plant it with my radishes. I think I'd end up being so nosey I'd be digging it up each week to see how much it'd grown. Must learn patience.

Penny-Wise_4

Garlic: - easy peasy - great for kids to grow.

how much room does it need?

A pot/part of your garden a bit bigger in diameter than a bulb of garlic - would be fine near your radishes.

How to plant

Fill pot with compost, poke your finger/a stick in the middle of the pot about twice the depth of a clove, pull a clove off a bulb of garlic, stick it in the hole and cover it over. That's it. (for outdoors garlic do the same but in the ground)

Within a few days it will sprout (depending on how fresh it is) and eventually will look like a big chive/small onion plant. Just keep the soil/compost moist and don't let it dry out - you want a nice juicy garlic bulb not a shrivelled dry one.

The original clove may shrivel a bit (if you are nosey and can't wait to see what is going on under the soil) but the plant will start to grow its own bulb. I can't really say how long this will take as it depends on the conditions you keep it in - temperature/light/water/indoors/outdoors etc but when the leaves start to die down it is ready (unless they are dying because you forgot to water it!).

Then just empty out the pot/lift it out of the soil. Then take one of the cloves off and plant it - this way you may never need to buy garlic again – very money saving.

You can plant them outside during spring/summer but they will grow indoors on a sunny windowsill all year round (best in your kitchen though as the leaves smell a little garlicy if disturbed).

Penny-Wise_4

I have about 3 rocket plants in a 10cm tub which makes about one smallish salad a fortnight for two people (not enough – I need to grow more). The plants do grow very well on my windowsill and are trailing over the edge of the pot and has quite a few leaves on it. You just pick them off evenly from over the plant and it will sprout new leaves.

I grow it indoors on my windowsill because outdoors it will only grow in summer and inside it will grow all year.

I think the spinach variety I grew was ‘perpetual spinach beet’. You just pull of the outside leaves when they are big enough for you and new leaves will keep coming up. Pick the leaves while they are small and they are great in salads.

For plant feed just use one suitable for vegetables, which one depends on whether you want an organic one/how much you want to spend - I can't remember which one I use.

r.mac_2

thanks for the step-by-step instructions. I am going to do this over the course of the week.

good luck fazer - I also have no patience so will have to try very hard!!!

Pink.

r.mac,

Yesterday in Morrisons (with the flowers) I saw a pack containing three plant pots, compost and seeds to grow basil corriander and chives costing £2.99.

Pennny-wise, thanks for the idea of growing garlic......I'm going to give it a try.

Pink