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Herbs best for container garden

indianaplantlover

15 years ago

I am somewhat new to herbs. I am also already thinking about spring and where I can put the herbs I want to grow.I would love to grow lots of dill, some rosemary, basil, parsley, sage, lemongrass. I would like to use 3 or 4 large pots, like 14 or 16 inches. My house faces south so they would get good light. Any suggestions for what variety of these herbs would be best for containers. I do appreciate any suggestions you may have. Vicci

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Comments (2)

CA Kate z9
15 years ago
Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Chives, Bay Laurel, Lemon Balm, Mint.

I use a lot of parsley, so I have one huge pot of that alone. Lemon Balm and Mint will quickly take over any pot you put them in. Bay Laurel is a shrub so needs to be alone, as does Rosemary. You might put the basil and thyme together since one stands tall and the other drapes. I have a big bowl of sages and thymes that is quite attractive.

And, don't forget to feed them liquid fertilizer at least once a month.
Daisyduckworth
15 years ago
One pot each of that size will do for a single parsley plant, or possibly a sage plant. You'll need considerably larger pots for the other plants. A 16" pot is a very small pot.

Take a look at the size of a mature plant. In theory, the bits above-ground are the same size as the bits below-ground. You CAN go a bit smaller, but your plants will be stunted, due to the fact that the roots can't spread as far as they'd like. A bit like foot-binding!

Lemongrass - my goodness, it will outgrow even a huge pot in no time flat - at least in my subtropical part of the world!

Bay is a TREE, not a shrub. But it will grow in a decent-sized pot for many years, as it's a slow-grower.

For lemon balm and mint - they'll need lots and lots of space to spread, and they'll fill any space given, quickly. The only real solution to this is to repot at regular intervals, dividing the plants as you go. These plants can become rootbound before you can blink.

I would not recommend putting the basil and thyme together (sorry Westelle). Basil likes a fairly rich, moist soil - thyme prefers poor soil and less moisture. Sage and thyme like much the same conditions, so they'll be OK together.

However, I always suggest - one plant per pot. This not only ensures that the plants get the conditions they prefer - it also eliminates competition - in a pot, there's almost always a battle for dominance, and usually only one winner.
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I did all my herb gardening last year in containers. My rosemary's are still going strong, even the "Christmas tree" type, which in my opinion is the least hardy of the rosemary's and needs "babying" more. And I've noticed my thymes and mints are coming back. I did plant some cilantro in the planting bed, and it survived the winter. Thought it died and would not come back. But I have this bushy, long row of beautiful, healthy green cilantro right now. Oh, and the chives...they're coming back and doing really well. Container planting for mint is a great idea. Very controllable. And if the pot is big enough, you can plant a variety and enjoy them all. I'm no pro, but my advice (learning from my mistakes) is to use the biggest pots you can find, to allow the plants to grow to their fullest potential. Don't crowd them and group plants with the same sunlight needs and, important, water requirements together. Good thing, most herbs LOVE, need, the full sunlight. But their water requirements vary. Pay attention to that. And use a good soil, and make sure you have excellent drainage. There are those in this forum who were against it, but I cut screen for the bottom of my planters and anchored them with river rock before putting in the soil medium. Worked out great for me. No root rot or poor drainage. Actually, excellent drainage. Plants were healthy all season! I will do the same thing again (very soon, the weather is beautiful) this year for my new garden. Can't wait for that abundant season of basil. I am a chef (started as a baker), and there is NOTHING like being able to go outside and get the herbs you need to cook with and use them immediately. Doesn't get any better than that. Good luck. You'll get a lot of good advice here. Some very "seasoned" pros hang around here.
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I agree that you've planted too many together. But it is possible to keep several plants in one container by keeping them well clipped. You can certainly remove and separate some of those plants with no problem. You might want to research what the expected size for your plants will be, by the end of a growing season. That information will help you decide which to remove and transplant into something else. This is a very common 'newbie' mistake, by the way. Over planting and over crowding. But it's not fatal! By the way, just how big is this 'medium sized storage bin'? How many drainage holes did you put in and what kind of potting soil?
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Have your pots ready for replanting and the pot well watered. Take the entire mess out of the pot. Spray the roots with the hose to wet the roots and wash away the soil that's in there. Have you ever noticed how weeds are much easier to pull after a rain, that's what you are going for. Then gently tease them apart, spraying again as needed. You will have some root loss because it is probably one big mess in there, but as long as each plant has a some root they will be ok. You might want to give them a haircut so the plant can repair it's roots and not have so much top to support. Otherwise they will be pretty droopy after transplanting. It is not a good thing to have basil and parsley together. Basil is an annual and has roots that spread out. Parsley is a biennial and has a tap root like a dandilion.
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