Herbs that I'll be Growing this Winter

[greenthumbomaha]

I"ve been reading the old herb posts and thought I would share what I have started so far. I am very new at this and it basically started with finding a few things on sale. Thanks to those that I pm'ed with questions!

Parsley oregano and cilantro and lettuce seeds were gradually started last winter to have more green around, and the herbs grew nicely without taking much space or effort. Lettuce production was just okay and I will try harder next year. One was from a kit that was like a soup can that went on sale after the holidays and were eventually potted into ordinary clay pots when the weather warmed up.

I bought a few Bonnie Plants herbs when the big box stores had their spring sale. It was too early for tomato and peppers so I scooped up a few herbs - pineapple sage died from mites but more oregano and lemon thyme is going strong.

I found a columnar basil plant locally, yay! Will start cuttings soon. This is the basil that doesn't seed.

Last week a few flats of sale plants came home and I am in the process of potting some up for indoor overwintering. Its too hot and dry to be planting outside this week.

another pineapple sage
golden sage
common sage
purple sage

greek oregano
hot and spicy oregano
sweet marjoram

an unmarked mint, probably spearmint
mojito mint, Passed at $4 just bought at $1
lemon balm

german chamomile

sorrell

lemon grass

stevia

arugula (already flowering)

dill

fennel

germannder

rue

- Lisa

[oakley]

That is a lot of plants!

But darn good prices.

Do read up on 'bring plants indoors for the winter' or similar search words.
Great advice out there. Store bought and even healthy garden herbs and such bring
a boat load of issues...all sorts of critters, bugs, slugs, etc piggy-back and come inside
with your soil and pots.
They also like a bit of 'hardening off', similar to setting out starts in the Spring. A deck
area, on a table, is a good way to inspect each plant. A big tub and submerging
under water with a bit of gentle soap added helps. I'm using a weak peroxide dunk as
well along with segregation at least a couple weeks to monitor any issues with a
yellow sticky trap or two. (weak peroxide just as a potted soil dunk, not the whole
plant)

I started a Winter indoor garden thread last year but did not keep up with it with a busy
work schedule. Planning another one now for this up-coming Winter...
That divided into a micro green post and have kept that all growing after many trials...
have a good bit ongoing now. Even on holiday we have fresh salads every night.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=micro+greens

[greenthumbomaha]

I remember your amazing micro green salads from last winter. I"ll have to get some new trays and start a few at the end of summer. I love fresh greens too. The herbs are as much for entertainment as culinary use. Something to share with neighbors too.

Indoor pests are always in the back of my mind regardless of what I am growing. I've been lucky so gfr with nothing major except for mites on a citrus tree a few years ago. Now that I have some experience behind me, I am better prepared to inspect and take action (spraying, soaking as you described, trashing immediately when necessary)

I'll post pics my potting up operation that I set up to process these flats of plants. Of course with temperatures of 100 degrees this month, I'm moving at a snails pace.

- Lisa

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

I"ve been reading the old herb posts and thought I would share what I have started so far. I am very new at this and it basically started with finding a few things on sale. Thanks to those that I pm'ed with questions!

Parsley oregano and cilantro and lettuce seeds were gradually started last winter to have more green around, and the herbs grew nicely without taking much space or effort. Lettuce production was just okay and I will try harder next year. One was from a kit that was like a soup can that went on sale after the holidays and were eventually potted into ordinary clay pots when the weather warmed up.

I bought a few Bonnie Plants herbs when the big box stores had their spring sale. It was too early for tomato and peppers so I scooped up a few herbs - pineapple sage died from mites but more oregano and lemon thyme is going strong.

I found a columnar basil plant locally, yay! Will start cuttings soon. This is the basil that doesn't seed.

Last week a few flats of sale plants came home and I am in the process of potting some up for indoor overwintering. Its too hot and dry to be planting outside this week.

another pineapple sage
golden sage
common sage
purple sage

greek oregano
hot and spicy oregano
sweet marjoram

an unmarked mint, probably spearmint
mojito mint, Passed at $4 just bought at $1
lemon balm

german chamomile

sorrell

lemon grass

stevia

arugula (already flowering)

dill

fennel

germannder

rue

- Lisa

This is am old thread but I am updating the plants that I brought indoors to share my success and failures.

lemon balm does fine, still green and smells like furniture polish

dill is half alive

golden sage and a variegated sage are fine but staying very small, they make a nice houseplant

pineapple sage flowered outdoors, and it was beautiful, but when brought indoors it did well for a month and gradually died stem by stem

curly parsley is just sitting there, didn't bring the huge flat parsley inside
the oreganos are just sitting there but healthy
the mints quickly croaked indoors, the leaves turned brown and dropped

I would love a lush indoor herb garden but it didn't happen. Next year I will try again repotting with wondersoil.

- Lisa

[bower]

I remember lemon balm being an easy one to grow and thrive indoors. Wish I had thought to pot some up. I used to bring a sage plant in every winter. They didn't like it much, but survived alright, and would then enjoy 'retirement' to a good garden spot. I meant to bring one in this year and even spotted a small branch that had rooted ideal size for the purpose, but didn't get around to it.
Both lemon balm and thyme greatly benefitted from the winter indoors. A spring of LB would fill up a five gallon pot with roots by springtime. Hey presto, divide for a bigger bed of them outdoors. Thyme got leggy but the whole green sprouts were tender enough to eat stem and all. They got quite bushy from being cut back and overall much stronger than the same size plant after suffering through our winter.
One thing I could never get to grow in a pot indoors, is hyssop. They never made it through a winter.

[SpookyShoe]

I've got 2 lemon balm plants outside in pots. They probably would benefit by being moved into larger containers. I can do that.

[SQWIBB]

I never heard of that last herb, -Lisa.
Lol, everything sounds great.

[greenthumbomaha]

Rue?

I decided not to plant because it can be irritating to skin. The neighbor grand kids come over to get balls etc. when I am not home.

When I am home they can get cherry tomatoes but its been too hot for even the kids to be social, or they have found funner things to do

- Lisa