Which of my herbs do I need to overwinter and/or collect seed?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I know this is probably pretty late to be asking this, but I have a few herbs growing in my summer garden and I'm a little bit clueless about all of that stuff. My grandmother taught me how to grow stuff, but not herbs! Does anyone have a website that has this information, that would be wonderful?

or maybe a pre-typed FAQ type answer, lol.

I have cinnamon basil (went to seed, of course), Genovese Basil (to seed), "Pesto Perpetuo"; I'll have to dig this one up but I've got 3 or 4 big plants of it that I started from just a few cuttings at the end of spring. As well as the shrubby-tree the original plant turned into. Same story with my lavendar. Stuck some cuttings in some already occupied-by-food-plants' pots. They looked really sad for a long time. It was raining so much and it was quite chilly, I thought for sure they'd just get a fungus and die, but no....now I've got quite a few pretty large lavender plants, bigger than what I bought the parent plant as, for sure!

I also have my rosemary but I'm not sure if it or the lavendar have bloomed. I don't get out that side of the garden very often and I would have to try pretty hard to check, lol!

maybe I should just dig them all up and try to maybe propagate some for the spring to probably donate to a local organic store owner.

I guess I need to know which ones of these DIE after flowering, if any.

oh, and of course I have copious amounts of mint, but I think that stuff is pretty tough, tough enough for here, I'd think! (SIDE NOTE: I mean, right? Anyone correct me if I'm wrong about this.)

I guess I could find a way to overwinter them in the pots they are already in, but can I store them in a garage to something? Or do they need light as well since they may or may not die back in there?

also, NONE OF THESE ARE PIG they are all in some sort of container because that's how I have to grow my garden, mostly fabric pots and reused buckets of varying sizes.

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Comments (3)

bardamu_gw
8 years ago
Hi Laticauda,

Mint, lavender, and rosemary are perennial plants. They come back year after year. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub. I once lived in zone 7 on the east coast and there, rosemary lived through the winter, planted in the ground. I live in zone 6 now and rosemary loses all its leaves in late winter (dies). I haven't seen a rosemary bloom in zone 6 but yes in zone 7. Cuttings are easier than seeds.

Basil is an annual plant, it lives for a season and then goes to seed. Basil seed is easy to grow. You might get some cross pollination from your three types of basil. I love the smell of basil, and for some reason even though I try to eat all my basil, inevitably some escapees go to seed.
laticauda thanked bardamu_gw
balloonflower
8 years ago
You've got it mostly figured out. Your genovese and cinnamon basils are annuals--save seed. If your pesto perpetuo is true, it is a perennial and will overwinter in proper conditions--not sure about zone 7, and indoor basil needs lots of light and heat.

Mints should be fine. Lav and Rosemary depend on the type you have for hardiness, but are perennial. Lav flowers early summer, with a possible second summer late bloom. You would have seen the flower stalks sticking up even if you missed the flowers. Rosemary tends to bloom only when it wants to, and has to be quite happy to do so. Mine did in Feb while wintering indoors, but it's the first I've had do so. It may or may not be winter hardy in zone 7. If you're going to try in pots, know they get much colder and more exposure than in ground plants. I usually put all my pots in a corner and cover with a bale of straw for insulation. Except last year when I didn't and lost all-- even sage and chives and mint.
laticauda thanked balloonflower
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Thanks for responding. I got the photo function to work so you can see the spots on the basil leaves which are losing their green color and how that progresses to darker spots which eventually turn completely brown and have a lace-like look (as if something was eating them, although I have not seen anything on the leaves). Then the plant dies. I have basil (lime, sweet, purple and cinnamon) planted at various times in several locations. Some are inside in the window of the sunroom; some are outside in pots on a deck; there are some in a large planter in a mostly sunny location near our pond. All containers have drainage holes and all are off the ground. Locations have full to mostly sun. None are directly in the ground. They are watered when the soil begins to dry out or when it rains. There has not been much rain in my area (Ohio) this year, so I have watered accordingly. I believe the problem started with the lime basil, although that may not be the case. I planted the lime last this year, so it could be a coincidence. I now have the problem on most of my other herbs (savory, watercress, sage, salad burnet, cilantro, thyme, chocolate mint and lavender). So far, the only ones unaffected are the chives. The plants outside in the huge planter (an old wash tub on legs) near the pond seem to be doing best, followed by the ones on the windowsill inside. I have been raising herbs for about 7 years and have never seen this before. I've scoured the internet for clues but nothing seems to fit. Any ideas? Thank you so much.
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years ago
Rosemary normally flowers in late winter/spring where it overwinters outdoors.
laticauda thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Which of my herbs do I need to overwinter and/or collect seed?

Comments (3)

bardamu_gw

balloonflower

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