Planting Herbs

[KARENR65]

Can I plant different herbs together in one pot or should I plant them seperately?

[mrbigjas]

you can plant them in the same pot provided they have enough room to grow, and provided that one herb won't take over the others.

for instance, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and any kind of mint are pretty hardcore and will take over any pot you put them in, at varying rates of speed. they'll choke out anything else.

i've grown basil and savory together, and basil and tarragon. right now i have thai basil and chervil in the same pot, and another pot with sorrel, tarragon, and two basil plants in it. when they're like that they're never going to grow quite as large as they could with unlimited space and resources, but they've lasted me for whole summers.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I have two small window boxes for my herbs. In one, I have mint, sage, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary. In the other, I have basil, taragon, dill, chives, and parsley. I have to prune heavily (to keep one from overwhelming the others) as they have all gotten pretty bushy and overwhelming, but all seem to be co-habitating just fine.

[KARENR65]

I was planning on planting parsely, basil and chives together. Thanks for the info!

[mrbigjas]

chives are a little tricky; you'll have to keep them well pruned, because they get big and are perennial.

and you have to watch parsley because it goes to seed really quickly--i've basically given up on growing it, because you pick the leaves off it and prune it to stop it from going to seed, and gradually the leaves become smaller and wimpier, and... well, basically it came down to, with the amount of parsley we use, it's easier to buy it for .50 a bunch than to mess with growing it.

but other than that why not?

[Lan4Dawg]

chives are a little tricky; you'll have to keep them well pruned, because they get big and are perennial. 

and you have to watch parsley because it goes to seed really quickly--i've basically given up on growing it, because you pick the leaves off it and prune it to stop it from going to seed, and gradually the leaves become smaller and wimpier, and... well, basically it came down to, with the amount of parsley we use, it's easier to buy it for .50 a bunch than to mess with growing it.

but other than that why not?

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I let one bunch go to seed early this season and already have a pretty good sized patch of parsley growing fr/ the seeds (it actually seeded the ground near the pot). It should be enough to keep me in parsley through the summer.

I also have some little basil plants growing where I missed pinching a couple of blooms back and hope fully they will continue to sprout w/ the same abandon as the parsley. There is also a patch of wild oregano growing near the deck fr/ seeds that blew off plants on the deck. I hesitate to use it b/c the cats like to roll in it. It makes for interesting smelling cats but useless oregano.

[k43]

Basil is not great for windowboxes. You need a lot of it, and the stems grow high. Better to buy it at the greenmarket, or plant a stem or two for chopped garnish.

Chervil dies immediately in a box.

Dill and chives are great for boxes. So is rosemary, but start with a substantial plant.

[julski]

any idea how to keep cilantro from bolting?

I barely get enough to use before it goes to seed

And I usually have a spare pot or two of basil going, just snip from the top and you'll have a bush in no time!

[tryska]

I don't think you can keep it from bolting if it's hot out.

But then, if you let it go to seed - it will grow new ones. Or stagger your seed planting, which my Mom always does. That way she's always got some coming in, while others might be flowering.

[mrbigjas]

Basil is not great for windowboxes.  You need a lot of it, and the stems grow high.  Better to buy it at the greenmarket, or plant a stem or two for chopped garnish.

Chervil dies immediately in a box.

Dill and chives are great for boxes.  So is rosemary, but start with a substantial plant.

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how about a pot? for chervil, i mean. i threw a bunch of seeds in a pot earlier this year and it seems to be coming along nicely, but it would be kind of a bummer if they died.

[chow guy]

Basil is not great for windowboxes.  You need a lot of it, and the stems grow high.  Better to buy it at the greenmarket, or plant a stem or two for chopped garnish.

Chervil dies immediately in a box.

Dill and chives are great for boxes.  So is rosemary, but start with a substantial plant.

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how about a pot? for chervil, i mean. i threw a bunch of seeds in a pot earlier this year and it seems to be coming along nicely, but it would be kind of a bummer if they died.

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It's tricky to grow because it likes to be moist but not have wet feet and it' can't get too much sun but can't flourish in shade either. Using shade cloth helps with all these little stumbling blocks. Over the years It has doe well for me... but not very often.