Multi-variety herb garden...pots and in-ground

[SpookyShoe]

1014181411.jpgSince I'm in zone 9, fall is a good time to plant herbs. I cleaned out the herb bed, added new soil, and cut back pooped-out from summer plants. Threw some items that looked really bad away. Added some fresh nursery-bought items. I've got basil (Italian and lemon), cilantro, garlic chives, marjoram, mint (chocolate and spearmint), oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (generic and lemon).

I just found this sub-forum so I'm going to read the posts and see what's going on.

Donna, Texas Gulf Coast1013180830.jpg

[SpookyShoe]

Bought a cart full of herbs today...

Mints, oregano, thyme, chives, sage, hyssop, basil.

[greenthumbomaha]

I can't see your photos in the top post, but the cart looks wonderful. Is the red flower for visual presentation, or are you trying to attract a particular polinator to the area?

Last night my garden club had a speaker who gave a short presentation on growing herbs. I was surprised that she said to fertilize them onec per month with special herb fertilizer. I thought fertilizer weakens flavor. She uses regular potting soil in containers, and I have been wasting money on gritty amendments. She has never use coir. I also learned that herbs have scent glands!

She brought citronella, and a pot with three scented geraniums. I plan to consider ordering these from a catalog next year.

Please post a photo when you get your plants in to their forever homes!

- Lisa

[SpookyShoe]

Thumb, the flowers are five pots of calibrachoa. I bought them just on a whim. They'll bloom until they are killed by a frost. I'll post some pictures of the herbs I planted yesterday later.

I bought 4 little pots of hyssop. I've never grown this before and I haven't put them anywhere yet. They grow 4 ft tall so planting them in a container is going to be out of the question unless it's a very very large container. If anyone has grown hyssop before, let me know what you think about it. The blossoms are supposed to attract bees and butterflies.

[SpookyShoe]

Hanging baskets and other containers. Container of mints...spearmint, apple, orange, and chocolate. Container of basil...purple, Thai, and sweet. (The basil has been in the container three weeks). 2 Mexican mint marigold, which I use in place of French tarragon which does not grow well here. I put things here, there and everywhere.

[SpookyShoe]

If you can't see the photos from the first post, here they are. This was October of last year.

[GrowingCoastal]

Every year I go through the same cycle. Love picking the fresh herbs until I get tired of running outside for them and then I am happy to use my dried herbs until I long for the scent and taste of fresh.
I have had a common sage in the same spot for eons and am contemplating moving it next year. It blooms early in the season and attracts bees.
French tarragon is something I have had trouble growing enough of and need to grow it in pots to do well in my yard.
Lemon balm in pots does well and stays within bounds that way.
I have two mints growing in pots beside some tomato plants. The trusses of the Rebel Alliance are so heavy they are almost touching the ground. Saw rat signs last week and that has worried me about the tomatoes. Having read that rats do not like mint I am winding the runners of the mint through those low trusses. Who knows? Doesn't hurt to try it.
Garlic chives is one herb that I do not have a taste for but holy moley do the bees ever like it. It is pretty and I keep it growing for the fliers.

Korean hyssop sounds interesting. I used to have a lime green coloured hyssop that would come back here and there from seed. I liked the colour for contrast. Can't recall if the hummingbirds liked it or not but bees do.
Bees seem to like all the herbs I have grown, even if the flowers are tiny. I recently read that the very best insectary plant is Cilantro. Nice to know. I always let some go to seed.