Silverkelt...love your name! Also notice you are from Western Maine. I can't remember visiting Western Maine, always at the coast pretty much. Sounds rural, is it?

Herbs...I am sorry I haven't tried all of those. Fennel reseeds in my garden on it's own, so I am sure it is a good candidate for winter sowing. Basil is a warm weather annual that will not survive winter sowing, I believe. I usually spring sow mine. That is the extent of my experience... :-)

Although you are in zone 5 and I'm in zone 7, I just want to tell you that I have WS all the herbs you listed, including the basil and they have all germinated well. If I were you I'd give it a try and keep seeds aside if they don't germinate by winter sowing. Basil being a heat lover was the last thing I thought would germinate but it did.
Alberta

Thank you for the responses, I will try everything except the basil, I have limited room but probable could start those inside. Anything I can wintersow just leaves me more room for other stuff.

PrairieMoon, Western maine is very rural and pretty. Though its a hike to find a place to work and shop etc... However I have to admit the coast is probable more scenic, its hard to see through all the trees, most people come up my way for fall tours not much more, we do live close to the biggest fair in maine if not all of New England in fryeburg maine, and we are in walking distance to the ossipee valley fair.

Silverkelt

I'm in zone 5 and have successfully WS basil.

Me too, on successfully WS basil, though I did it pretty late. Sowed 4-7-07, germinated 4-15-07. The oregano and peppermint, and sage are perennial herbs, so they are great candidates for WS. I'm afraid I don't know anything about fennel. I've never used it for cooking, so I've never tried to grow it.

Bonnie

Last winter I WSed several different sages, oreganos, mints, and thymes as well as lots of other herbs, including lovage, lemon balm, cumin, dill, lavenders, mugwort, wormwood, and a host of lesser-knowns (I'm into herbs).

All of them seemed to be happy as pie to be wintersown - even cilantro (Santo, Pot, Spice, & Vietnamese)! I didn't try any basils, but will this year based on others' success. Doubt I'll WS any fennel, as I generally grow oodles of Florence fennel (bulbing) all season and eat it as a vegetable. I've never started it early, just direct sow, because I don't want to disturb it.

Has anyone WSed Florence fennel? How did it do?

Don't forget to WS parsley.

silverkelt...you are right on the NH border near Conway then. I love it in Conway. It is quite a ride for us....but such a different environment than my suburbs. Very pretty there! We love fairs...I didn't realize they had them there, as we usually have been there in the winter. Sounds really nice.

Hmmm...I have some extra basil seeds, maybe I will try winter sowing them for a change. Thanks.

:-)

Well, sure, I'll WS some parsley, and then when the garden centers open I'll buy some plants. I'm parsley-challenged. There, I said it. Parsley refuses to grow for me from seed. But you never know - this could be The Year of the Sprouting Parsley...

Hi silverkelt,
I lived in Ma. 2006 and ws sage 1/15 and oregano 3/19 both did beautifully for me.
Best Wishes
Wendey

tosser...soaking seems to have made a difference for me when I was starting them in the spring. I haven't tried winter sowing them, but I have been told that the winter sowing process helps a lot. Thanks for the reminder...I should start a container of them..

pm2

Last year here in zone 5 I sowed one jug of Parsley triple curl on Feb 9th. I don't remember exactly when it germinated, but I had so much parsley I gave a huge pot to my mom, one to my sister, and kept one for myself. We had fresh parsley until mid November!

I don't grow many herbs, but those that I have I direct sow in spring. I just sprinkle seeds into a bed, they germinate within a few days, and grow like weeds. I actually had a hard time getting rid of cilantro and parsley- they would self seed and want to take over my tomato beds the following year. I finally had to put down cardboard to smother both of them a few years ago.

Now basil is limited to pots- again, it grows like crazy and hogs the bed if I do it there. Now I just sprinkle seeds onto a pot of soilless mix in spring and have tons of basil in no time.

Karen

Basil--I now sow basil in the last bunch of things I WS...their seedlings are very cold-sensitive. I wait until the end of March. Two years in a row I lost a batch of WSed babies to cold. The first year, I lost them to voles after I planted them out. This past year, I had a bumper crop of basil -- second sowing to replace the cold burnt ones. The types were Genovese, Genova, Nufar, and another one I can't remember the name of. I've got lots of cubes of pesto in my freezer from them.

Sage-- have seeds, didn't do them last year, will this year.

Fennel-- tried two years ago, got sprouts, forgot about the container, so never got them in the ground.

Parsley--I too am Parsley challenged. It sprouts for me when I WS it with no problem. Growing it is the issue. I still have a container of Parlsey from two years ago that is growing two thin, leggy stalks. I'm afraid to cut it-- every time I do, it's like a death-blow. I have "Wild Parsley" which is supposed to be perennial to colder climates. I'm going to WS that this year and see what happens (and how it tastes).

Peppermint...hope you have several uses planned for it...it grows and reseeds with a vengeance around here.

Some herbs you didn't mention, but I have WSed:

Rosemary--it's kinda testy...a lot of seeds sown, few sprouts, hard to survive (at least for me)

Winter Savory- I know you didn't mention this one, but I WSed it last year and LOVE IT! Great flavor.

Thyme , Lovage, Lemon Balm (a mint), Dill, Chives, Garlic Chives, Oregano all WSed great for me. I still have plants from seeds WS 3-4 years ago for all but the Chives and Dill.

Linda

Speaking of WS basil, has anyone noticed a difference in germination between the green leaved types, and the purple ones? The green ones have always germinated well for me, but I spring, summer, and fall sowed some purple basil, and only got a couple of very skinny sprouts. They aren't as thick and sturdy as the stalks on the green ones. The seeds were received in trade, so maybe if I bought some fresh seed it might make a difference.

I hate to admit this amongst all of you parsley challenged folks, but parsley is not only an easy germinator for me, it took extreme heat and cold better than all of the other herbs I grew this past year. I dug up a clump out of the garden in the fall, and it has been growing in my kitchen windowsill all winter. It didn't even miss a beat when I potted it up. It is the Parsley krausa.

Linda, I've never tasted Winter Savory. What sort of dishes do you use it in?

Bonnie

I've circled 9 February on the calendar and jotted "PARSLEY" in red marker - maybe a bit of gardenluv's mojo will rub off on me.

Linda, it's good to know that others are also parsley-challenged!

prairiemoon2, oh yeah - I've tried soaking, freezing, heating, refrigerating for x-number of days, and I think one year I even did some sort of dance during a full moon. Nothing's worked (yet). Every spring, when I trudge into the garden center to buy parsley seedlings, I just stand and stare at all of them lined up and think, "How the hell did they do that?!"

Hey Feb 9th is my birthday!

however I think nevadas spring probable comes a month before mine. Are last frost date is around may 15 each year, though it can be later or earlier of course, our best year was probable late april, our worst may 28th or so.

Alas, the vexation of living in such a cold climate...

Silverkelt

Have wintersown the following with all good results:
Salvia officinalis
Lavender angustifolia 'Mustead' and 'Vera'
Lemon Balm
Thymus 'German Winter'
Thymus serypllum (mother of thyme)
Thymus 'Magic Carpet'
Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia
German Chamomile (re-seeding annual)
Dill
Garlic Chives
Common Chives
Catmint (Nepeta mussinii)
Monarda fistulosa
Feverfew 'Flore Pleno'

Basil in spring....mid April into May.

Never done parsley myself, but I know from where I was a student that parsley can be a slow germinator! Can take up to 5 weeks depending on how fresh the seed was to start. This is one for which a lot of patience can be required. You may just be giving up too soon :D

Vera

I've winter-sown various thymes, echinacea, oregano, parsley, lavender, sages, feverfew, tansy - all with good results. I wait until warm weather for basil.

Bonnie,
I'm trying to remember what it tasted like, and I recall it was robust, but not overpowering, and tasted like blend of Thyme and Oregano, with a slight Rosemary-ness to it. I was so pleased with the flavor. I didn't bring any indoors for the winter as I was afraid to trim to much from the plant. But I'm probably going to WS more, to make sure I have a lot more next year.
I used it to season meats,in stir-fried veggies, and stews.

Tosser, yes I'm "parsley challenged" which is a shame because the only thing I love more than parsley is basil. I did purchase seed which was probably fresh from Stokes Seeds last year, and I got three kinds of flat-leaved types. They did sprout, but they took a long time to grow. I kept them in pots in a full-sun garden bed among other plants, hoping to give them a combination of heat and shade. They looked and grew healthier than they ever had for me, but, alas, I forgot they were there and never harvested any! By the time I remembered they were there, it was fall.
I can't grow it or basil indoors either, not well enough to harvest from the plants. Both always die on me-- Although I do have several Basil seedlings in a 4 inch pot left over from 2007 WSing...they're in my kitchen window and they are still alive and leaning towards the sun. I think the type is Di Genovese, a wilt resistant type.
We'll see.

Linda

Tosser, you may be parsley challenged, but until last year I was sprout challenged! I could always get things to sprout, but then they always died! Now thanks to wintersowing, I get sprouts coming out my ears, and more flowers and herbs than I know what to do with! I don't even like parsley!! lol I don't use it, I don't necessarily like the taste of it, I just wanted to grow it! I am glad I did though because my family thoroughly enjoyed it. I am doing some more this year just for them!

I like to cook with basil. Which type tastes like what you would get at the store? Are there big differences in flavor between types?

Geez, I'm supposed to be talking about herbs this summer at our garden club meeting. I have tons to learn and grow before then!!!

pyrgal,

Usually what you find at the supermarket is fresh Sweet Basil. Yes, there a various taste difference between the MANY basils you can choose from; some have a more anise'y flavor, some have a citrus twist to them and some are more camphor'ish tasting, ect.

Here is a link that might be useful: List of basil cultivars.....a little info

Pyrgal,
Make sure the seeds say they are "large-leafed". That's the kind they sell in the store, and I think they're the best for cooking.
I highly recommend Stokes Seeds for getting Basil seeds. I had the best crop of Basil ever with WSing their seeds.
-- Lettuce Leaf was nice for the early crop. It was ready to harvest long before the others, and actually was more cold tolerant (like lettuce). It actually sprouted (and survived) before my salad Lettuces! It has a mild but definite basil flavor and tastes great in salads.
-- I also got a Pesto strain, Genovese, that has a very strong flavor
--Nufar, good flavor, and wilt resistant...tasted just as good as the others

--Di Genova, was my least favorite of the four, but, I think it is also the one surviving in my kitchen window. And, on my scale of loving Basil, being "least-liked" doesn't mean much at all!

On another Herb, I WSed Chervil. Anyone ever have Chervil? I haven't and I'm curious of the taste.

Linda

Yup, always plant chervil. Can't remember if I WSed it or not last year, but plan to this year. Chervil's a very pretty, delicate-looking plant - looks kind of like parsley (but easier to grow - ha!).

To me, it has a faint peppery/licoricy/green taste. You can use it pretty much the same as parsley, just don't use as much. It gives stuff a "fresh" taste.

Ahh, thanks for the tip! Easier to grow than parsley?? Hey, works for me :-)
BTW, speaking of "just don't use as much", I WSed Tarragon one year. Dear, dear....it's now three years old, and I have to cut that thing down at least four times in the season...and you can't be heavy-handed cooking with Tarragon. Haven't found enough uses to keep the darn plant under control.

Linda

Okay, for those of you that are interested...my parsley that I sowed on Feb 9th (for the second year in a row) has just starting sprouting as of this afternoon. I am very excited.

Congrats gardenluv!!

Vera

Gardenluv, congratulations! I'm glad you posted about your parsley, because it just made me realize that I didn't sow any. I think because I still have some in a pot in the kitchen windowsill, I forgot about sowing more. Since it's a biennial, if I planted it back out in the garden, it would probably bolt right away though.

Of the herbs I did remember to sow, the following have already germinated:

Cilantro
Dill
Lavender
Marjoram
Oregano

No sign of the chives, rosemary, sage, spearmint, or summer savory yet. I'm trying hard to wait a couple more weeks before sowing any basil, or the perilla (shiso).

Happy spring!
Bonnie

I just did my basil and cilantro. Hopefully those will do as well as the parsley did for me last year.

Really enjoyed this thread and was wondering what to do with my Dill and Cilantro. My horse adored the parsely.

ML

ML, have you already sown them, and are wondering how to use the herb? How about dill pickles and salsa : )

Mine are going in pots on the porch this year. Last year, I put them in the veggie garden, but I need all that space for the tomatoes and peppers, and beans, and cukes, and canteloupes, and ... so on and so forth, LOL!

Bonnie