Hi Lali and all you gardeners :-), Very impressed w/your green thumbs in getting grocery "volunteers" to reproduce in your gardens. I'm pretty much a "brown thumb-er" in that I basically can get thing to grow, but keeping them alive~ now that's a problem. For example: I just can't seem to get lemon grass to thrive. I've had a pot in full sun and they just limped along till it faded away. I have another pot, this time under a light shade cloth and it's not doing much better. What's the secret here?

Basil: pick off leaves individually or prune all around the plant (never taking more than one-third of entire growth at once time, then waiting for the plant to regrow before pruning again) and use either individual leaves or sprigs for cooking. Stems, of course, should be removed before serving the dish. Harvest regularly to encourage more growth. Some people say the flavour changes once the plant flowers, but I've never found this to be the case - mine flower from tiny and never stop! The flowers are edible. The plant will die as the cold weather approaches. That's normal. It's an annual. Sage: as for basil. The flowers are edible and do not need to be removed. Oregano: as for basil. The flowers are edible and do not need to be removed. This plant can spread quite quickly, so keep an eye on it. Parsley: trim off all over the plant if desired, or just pick stems, as far down as you like. I like to take the lower stems and leaves, encourage more top growth. Once a flower stem appears (in its second year), the flavour becomes more coarse, but if you let it go to seed, you'll get lots more plants next year. It's a biennial. Coriander/cilantro: be quick if it's hot in your area! This plant will bolt to seed very quickly, and in a hot climate may live out its entire life-cycle in a mere 2 weeks. Once the leaves begin to turn lacy/feathery, and begin to produce a flower stem, that's your warning. Again, pick off individual leaves, or cut whole stems. The feathery leaves are edible, but of much coarser flavour than the 'real' leaves. There's not a lot you can do to stop it going to seed. Let it happen. The seeds are edible when fully ripe, and some will inevitably drop to germinate and start new plants. Best to sow seeds about every 2-3 week to get successive crops. It's a short-lived annual. Honestly, there's no talent or special knowledge required for harvesting or pruning. A lot of it is just plain commonsense, and no special knowledge is required. If you want a leaf or a sprig, take one! Take 2. Take 10. Just remember the rule of thumb - take only one-third of total growth at any one time - regardless of how big the plant is. Doesn't matter where you cut the stems, really, unless you have an eye for aesthetics! If you want to harvest your herbs for medicinal purposes, there are optimum times to get the best medicinal properties from them, but really, it isn't critical.

It's good to be the first one to sell a new item at the market. You might ask around and see what others have sold bunched herbs for in the past. Many times customers are attracted to something new and you may find that herbs attract a particular class of customers whom would buy other things. I don't find it a waste of time and in fact consider the space used by the herb plants to be a profitable part of my whole sales effort. The herbs that I don't get sold are usually taken home and dried and packaged for further sales efforts. I sell basil $1.00/bunch, with a bunch consisting of enough 1 foot long stems to cover a 12" span at the widest part of the "bouquet", and tie them in bunches with rubber bands. I pick the basil early morning(by flashlight) before leaving and pack them into a cooler without ice. Warning- direct contact of basil with ice will burn it. Sales tip- Frequently wave the basil about while at market, so it will scent the air and draw in customers wondering "What is that heavenly smell?" For thyme marjoram and sage I cut and bunch springs about 4-6" long, and rosemary about 8-10", with the bunches about 1" diameter at the band. Parsley& cilantro bunches are about what you find at the grocery. I will be adding mint this year but plan on selling it about like the rosemary, maybe a bit longer sprigs. I price all my herbs at $1.00/bunch. I've seen other markets that sell for prices considerably higher than mine, but I'm satisfied with what I get. Don't neglect potential for sales at restaurants. Professional chefs are far more apt to be familiar with herb use, and I have set up enough regular deliveries to them alone to support growing the herbs. I usually will drop off free samples to various restaurants early in the season, giving away items which went unsold at market. Schedule conversations with chefs away from their peak cooking hours, otherwise they get too busy to take time. Basil, especially, would be welcome at Italian restaurants as nothing dried matches fresh basil. The link below is an attempt to let you see search results of this "market gardener" forum for the word herb. If it doesn't work, just look at the bottom of the market garden forum main page and select "search this forum", input the word herb, and you will find several threads speaking about prices, methods, etc. Here is a link that might be useful: Market gardener forum search-keyword herb

Hi all, I am looking for herbs that I can use to start my herb garden. If you have any that you have tons of or can be rooted, please email me and see if we can make a trade. thanks alot whisst