skip to main content

Texas Gardening

Herb gardening in zone 9...coastal area

Jennifer Wolford

13 years ago

Hi All,

Quick question... I want to start an herb garden. I live in the Lake Jackson Freeport area and am not sure if I should do full sun or part shade.. also... do I plant in cinderblocks or raised beds? Any help would be wonderful... thanks in advance.. Jennifer

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

honeybunny2 Fox
13 years ago
I have an herb garden in zone 9 coastal in Rockport Tx. In full sun I grow dill, oregano, rosemary and chives. They never freeze, the dill reseeds itself. They are planted in a plain sand bed, nothing special. I think you could grow almost anything in a raised bed down there. Barbra
Yadda
13 years ago
I grow most of my herbs in pots so I can keep them on the patio. Once mosquito season gets here my better half does not want to go far to snip sage, thyme and basil. I do grow my rosemary in the ground in raised beds. I have found rosemary to be extremely difficult to grow in pots. Overwatering tends to be a problem. Yadda out.
Related Discussions
Herbs That Grow Well in Zones 5 and 6?
Q
Comments (11)
Hi! I live in US6, SWPA. I grow perennially, easily: SUN: oregano, thyme, marshmallow, elecampagne, roses of all sorts, lavenders, st. johnswort, joe pye, yarrows, lily of the valley, marjoram, strawberries, currants, orange butterfly weed, mints of all sorts, valerian, schizandra, chaste tree, sorrel, mullein, violets, honeysuckles, burdocks, dandelions, docks, plantains, horseradish, tansy, rue, poke, coneflower, bergamot, feverfew & the ever ubiquitous Japanese knotweed... SHADE: witch hazel, lenten roses, sweet woodruff, lungwort, foxgloves, lady's mantel, black & blue cohoshes & locals including canadian ginger, mayapple & trilium (both popping up now). Annually, in raised beds or patio pots I grow calendula, sages, rosemary, tarragon, chia, gotu kola, geraniums... I could not get rid of the skullcap--had it for years-- full sun--until I overseeded heavily with larkspur & I think that just finally shaded it out. Things that in the southern US would require afternoon shade don't up here unless it's been a long, dry stretch. My soil runs the gamut from boggy to retaining wall clay; my light full shade to full sun. I do this on a standard city-sized lot--25 x 100', with an E-W exposure & an additional 4' x 25' retaining wall beside the driveway on the other side of the house & still have enough grass to play a game--albeit confined--of guerrilla bocci. My suggestion to anyone who wants to set up an herb garden is to decide what you want & why you want it, then network with herbalists & other gardeners & experiment with your land & soil types & go to every garden club plant sale or swap you can find-- people grow the most amazing things.... Even tho' I come from a long line of sustainable city & country gardeners I read books, consult with neighbors, call the cooperative extension for the most simple-assed questions imaginable. And, while some things in my garden have been passed down, literally, through generations & carted from house to house with us-- and while I have spent a considerable amount of money over a considerable number of years on plants-- the majority of my existing, long-term plantings have come from local sources: the aforementioned garden club sales, friendly neighbors and-- I am not ashamed to admit, since my neighborhood has experienced somewhat of an urban decline over the past few decades-- a fair amount of abandoned property plant-poachings & rose rescues. Every year this time of year I stare at different bits of green popping up and go, "What the h*ll is that?" & tell myself to be patient because in another few days I'll either remember what I put there or somebody will have unwittingly stepped on it or possibly eaten it. Last year Neighbor Joe got a new roof & fixed his gutters & the sweet woodruff under his foundation-grown mulberry all but dried up, though it's going strong about 10' away. This year some of the strawberries also migrated about 15 feet completely around a couple of shrubs towards the north-- they'll probably make Canada in another couple hundred years... & I have no idea where the st. johnswort will show up, but it always does. So trust the garden, as well, to tell you what it needs. And enjoy the adventure.
...See More
Herb Garden Zone 5 Suggestions
Q
Comments (23)
Lovage is a tall perennial herb that has a strong celery taste and can be added to your recipes. It is a nice green backdrop at the back of the garden. Some parsley in the front. Replant parsley each year. It is a biennial, a 2 year life cycle, but I've never had it do anything the second year. Sage is a beautiful green-grey plant with fuzzy leaves. It is a perennial, wonderful with chicken and even in tea. The violet-blue flowers (color varies) are beautiful and great bumble-bee magnets. Oregano is very hardy and tolerates (actually it kind of required) very regular harvesting. It is a perennial with pink-lavender flowers. Basil, too many varieties to count and wonderful in pestos, thai cuisine, tomato sauces, fresh mozarella/tomato/basil salad and more. Easy to start in-doors and transplant out or direct sow if conditions allow. An annual, if you are wondering. Chives, a wonderful perennial onion relative. Lovely topped on eggs, baked potatoes, in salads, etc. They have lavender flowers which are edible too. Garlic is wonderful addition. They bloom white (the classic ball-like blooms of the allium family) and can be harvested for bulbs or greens. The hardneck varieties, as noted in other posts, are the most hardy. Some nasturiums. They are annual flowers but they are lovely and the flowers and leaves taste wonderful and peppery in salads. Depending on the variety, they can trail and wander a bit but harvest off what gets in the way. Tuck in a beautiful cayenne pepper. The plants are pretty and the peppers are wonderful! Beauty and usefulness! Annual, of course. Dill, cilantro (coriander), and anise are easily started from seed and are annual plants used for seed or leaf. Too many recipes to note for these! If allowing to set for seed, they can tall, especially dill. A nice rugosa rose tucked in the garden will offer up lovely tasting flower petals or hips in the fall. The rugosa is a hardy, large hip producing rose that needs little to no pruning. Some sweet violets tucked under larger plants offer some very tasty flowers as well as beauty. These come out early and will race the chives to be the first to bloom in an herb garden. Add to this some pot marigold or calendula. One of my favorites and once it starts to bloom it will do so until the killing frost in the fall. The plant can be used for culinary uses but mostly medicinal. It is a great pollinator attractor. Annual and dead simple to start from seed. I focused on some simple and easy edibles for you. FataMorgana
...See More
Perennial Herbs Zone 3
Q
Comments (8)
I always like to suggest roses for herb gardens. They were important parts of any antique herb garden. Roses offer fragrance, beautiful blooms, and tasty hips (wonderful in tea). Design-wise it will add some structure and interest to the garden. Garlic is a perfect companion plant for roses - the herb garden needs an allium or two. Garlic and chives are just two members of the allium family and you should be able to find an extra hardy variety or three that can survive the zone. Don't forget some annual plants like chili peppers which are pretty and useful! FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Midwest Hardy Roses
...See More
Growing Jiaogulan (Immortality Herb) in containers in NC (zone 7b/8a)
Q
Comments (10)
Sorry for the late reply, HU-243901113. I don't regularly fertilize my Jiaogulan plants, but do occasionally water them with some 'Foliage Pro' in the water, which is what I water my citrus trees with. My first year growing them I kept them in a near total shady spot, and they grew very slowly. When I moved them to a sunnier spot they grew much faster, but too much sun wilted them badly. I now keep mine in a spot were they get the morning sun, and afternoon shade when the day is hotter. They have thrived in that spot. I started/grew Jiaogulan plants last winter in a SunBlaster Grow Light Garden kit I got off Amazon, and it worked OK. I also have put them in a window where they grow, but not as fast as when outdoors. Most of the Jiaogulan roots in the pictures above died this past winter (I should have moved them to a more protected area when the prolong super cold temps came), but they produced a lot of berries last year which I harvested for seed (berries are not edible by the way). Those seeds germinated and I now have replacement plants just as good as the ones above. When they sprouted, the vines had 3 leafs, but now they have matured into 5 leaf Jiaogulan plants. I don't think I'd be willing to sell any of my plants. I got my starter plants from Joe Hollis of Mountain Gardens Herbs, and highly recommend purchasing plants from him. I have purchased plants elsewhere. Not all Jiaogulan plants taste them same, some are bitter, some sweeter, some have no flavor at all. The bare root plants I got from Hollis were most vigorous and had a pleasant taste. I use mostly the leaves for tea, as most of the beneficial properties in Jiaogulan are concentrated in the leaves, from what I have read. I don't *think* the roots or flowers are edible (haven't confirmed they are), but I have read in Jiaogulan resource books that the berries should not be consumed. . Good luck!
...See More
srburk
13 years ago
I have no luck with rosemary at all, either raised, in ground, or pots. It's just not happy down here and I can take the hint (I live south of you). Thyme and oregano and chives have always done well in pots for me. Thyme and oregano are in a pot together for me this year. Chives do well in a raised bed, too--I have a clump that overwintered and was the only thing to not freeze and die (uncovered, even....). I cannot get basil of any type to thrive in a pot to save my life. The ones I keep in my raised beds are four feet high even with regular clipping and reseed prolifically when allowed to go to seed. In fact, I'm pulling up seedlings---there are at least a hundred and they are too close to the tomato plants, and I have no where else for them to go. Only one caveat I can think of for you. Do not, under any circumstance, put mint in the ground anywhere unless you want it to take over and be around forever. Very aggressive. It needs a pot all to itself. Nice to have, though, even just for the smell.
ltcollins1949
13 years ago
I have lived here on Copano Bay, Aransas County, just a mile down the road from honeybunny, for 15 years and grow herbs all over my yard in slightly raised to raised beds. I've had rosemarys growing all over my yard for all of the 15 years now. Some of the older ones are getting woody, but I just cut that part out. I don't raise my herbs in pots, but you can do so.

And I do grow mint in the ground. It has never taken over. I realize that it can if left to do so, but it is so easy to pull up if you don't want it growing in a specific place. And it looks pretty, makes a nice ground cover, and smells so good.

You need to know what herbs need sun, partial sun and shade. And you need to plant cool-weather herbs in the fall and warm-weather herbs in the spring. Lots of herbs can't take our summers. Research can give you that information.

Herbs are not difficult to grow in Texas, but you need to know what to grow when. I have them growing all over in my yard and greenhouse. I think that you should do is contact your County Extension Office and ask to speak to a Master Gardener about herbs.

Buy you a good herb gardening book for TEXAS, and not the other parts of the country. Growing herbs in Texas is not the same as growing herbs up north. We have what we call cool-weather herbs and warm-weather herbs. Some herbs are annuals, some perennials and some which are annuals up north can live as annuals down here. Forget about trying to grow herbs like cilantro, dill, chervil and others during the summer. Two good books that I recommend for herb growing in Texas are: Southern Herb Growing by Madalene Hill & Gwen Barclay and Herbs for Texas by Howard Garrett. Both of these are the best books that you can get for Texas herbs. I have lots of herb books that I enjoy, but for Texas get both of these or at least one of these.

I never start herbs directly in the ground, but rather put them in 4" pots and transplant to the soil after they get big enough.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 9 Fresh Herbs for Crowd-Pleasing Thanksgiving Dishes

Pluck these herbs from a windowsill pot or a garden for a Thanksgiving meal that sings with fresh flavor

FLOWERS Herb Garden Essentials: Grow Your Own Fragrant Lavender

By Marianne Lipanovich

This do-it-all plant is ideal for almost any garden, and its uses are abundant around the home

GARDENING GUIDES 9 Low-Growing Hedges That Make Good Neighbors

Define garden areas or borders without blocking the view, with these evergreen shrubs that take kindly to trimming

GARDENING GUIDES 4 Herb Container Gardens for Fabulous Global Cuisine

Tingle your taste buds with the unbeatable taste of fresh herbs in your Italian, Asian, Mexican or French fare

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Coastal Sweet Pepperbush Perfumes Gardens All Year

By Paintbox Garden

Bottlebrush blooms, gorgeous fall color and delightful fragrance give this U.S. native shrub 4-season appeal

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Sea Grape, a Hardy Coastal Delight

By Steve Asbell

Up to the high-tide line or even indoors, sea grape draws smiles for its looks and cheers for its tenacity

EDIBLE GARDENS 8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Gardeners

By Abundant City

Learn the edible plants that are popular and easy to grow in a backyard or container garden

URBAN GARDENS 9 Creative Ways With Plants, No Yard Required

By Annie Thornton

See how designers and homeowners cleverly incorporate container gardens into their home designs

EDIBLE GARDENS Herb Garden Essentials: How to Grow Thyme

By Marianne Lipanovich

Common thyme and its flavorful cousins are anything but ordinary in the garden

EDIBLE GARDENS 12 Essential Herbs for Your Edible Garden

By Annie Thornton

Make home cooking and drinks even better with herbs plucked from your own backyard or windowsill pot

Sponsored

Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers

49 Reviews

Columbus Area's Luxury Design Build Firm | 17x Best of Houzz Winner!

More Discussions

Placing the TV on the wall and designing the artificial stone behind t

1

If anyone still reads here …

5

Costco bareroots in TX -- 2 plants $16

2

cleaver invasion

2

iris not blooming well

8