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Herbs - Australia

brisbane: herb garden or pots?

19 years ago

Hello,

I am (fingers crossed) in the process of buying a house in Brisbane. Right now I live in a rented house and have a bunch of herbs that I am growing outside in pots - nothing fancy, just a couple different kinds of basil, parsley, thyme, chives, lemon grass, rosemary, oregano, sage. I am wondering if it would make sense, once we move, to create an actual small herb garden or if it makes sense to keep everything in pots.

They are growing okay right now with about 3 hours direct sun per day (the rest is semi shade since they are near the side of the house) although I notice things like the thyme is quite scraggly and sparse (maybe because I did not clip it though!)

I like the idea of an herb garden but I'm not really sure how best to create one (I'm a pretty terrible gardener) - most of the herb descriptions that came with them say that they like full sun, but our Brisbane sun is pretty brutal. Would it be best to create an herb garden in full sun? Or perhaps in partial shade? Or should I just leave them all in their pots so I can move them around?

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

Daisyduckworth
19 years ago
I live in Brisbane, and I have an all-herb garden. The herbs LOVE it! There are some I keep in pots either because they have a yearning for world domination (mints) or because they'd get too big if planted in the garden (cardamom) or because they have weed tendency (feverfew), or because they prefer a little shade (mints again).

The Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, basil, sage, thyme etc really do well here - just give them good drainage in case we get our much-needed summer tropical rains back again!

You don't say where you're coming from, but if from a somewhat cooler climate, I suggest leaving the plants in their pots for now, and let them acclimatise for a while, then perhaps plant some out in autumn, or else wait until next spring.

Most plants are much happier in the garden than in pots, and potted plants are really high maintenance, remember. You'll need to water them more often while they're in pots - an issue in SE Qld with water restrictions - currently Level 4 in Brisbane ie buckets only, on alternate days except Mondays.
kirilisa
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi,

Thanks for the info! I am in Brisbane now, just moving from a rented place to an owned place so I'll actually be allowed to plant stuff!

Is your herb garden smack in the all day full sun, or do you have it in partial shade/not all day full sun?

Thanks!
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Daisyduckworth
19 years ago
Most of my garden is in full sun, and it gets the full blast of the afternoon sun, since it faces west. Any plants which need a bit of shade I have in pots under a pergola.

Mulch. Mulch. Mulch. I use sugarcane mulch because it's quite cheap (buy it from a produce store, not a nursery or garden centre!). It helps keep down the weed, keeps the moisture in and improves the soil. Also protects the roots of shallow-rooting plants (which a lot of herbs are).

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