Do you herb garden?
2Yes actual herbs for cooking. What do you grow and how do you grow it?
I have an east facing bay window in the kitchen above the sink which would probably be the ideal place to put anything.
It is shaded but there is unused 120V wiring so technically I could supplement exterior light. I do usually let it get down to 60 in winter which might mess up some.
What do you think would grow/survive?
I’ve thought about starting one for years but never bothered or really tried because my cat regularly made 5 ft jumps on to me if I didn’t answer his “I want up” cry and correctly orient myself for the inbound payload fast enough. The counter was no challenge for him. He would have gotten into any indoor plant…
But he passed away and it’s been a while. None of the current residents have ever shown any interest in attempting the counter jump. So. Maybe time to try.
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I grow as many culinary herbs as I can. I used to work in fine dining before having littles and have always been an avid cook. I don’t really grow any of them indoors but the more tender annuals might be a better bet as some of the perennial might cause an issue from a space perspective. I would also say it kind of depends on what you like to eat. I think thyme, cilantro and basil would be great options. Oregano is great but is in the mint family and will take over the container.
I personally grow multiple types of basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, epazote, rosemary, savory, tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives, salad burnet, fennel, marjoram, sorrel, sage, lemon verbena, lemongrass, and nasturtium. I also have a bay tree which is pretty amazing at times. That’s what I can think of the off the top of my head. Yes I’m a food nerd.
@sillyheathen if I even can I would use separate pots so no root takeover. Looking for what would grow in a little garden in the window.
I do have some mint and catnip seeds in a drawer from another unimplemented plan lol. so good info if they are still viable
Any idea if this might be mint related
It’s taken over the bottom of the yard and smells of mint when I mow it. No need to play if that plant but the root spread/takeover/scent makes me wonder
@unksol could absolutely be. Most mint family plants have a square stalk instead of a round on. Marjoram, oregano, zataar etc are all in the mint family if I remember correctly. If it smells like mint when you mow, it likely is.
@sillyheathen @unksol
I second the mint opinion, and ditto the square stalk being a big indicator. I also have mint that grows “wild” along a border below my (ginormous) fig tree. It gets primarily used for mojitos… I often mow it to keep it for taking over the yard. And YES, it smells great when I hit it with the rider…
@chienfou @sillyheathen I get some mint but it’s hard to tell if that’s the culprit. it is the one spreading wild and whatever it is must be jugalone tolerant.
@chienfou @sillyheathen @unksol
Abides jugalone
We know this plant’s down to clown
Jugs together next
Like she said it all depends on what your gonna eat. I grow most of my herbs outdoors in the MI summers and then dry them for the winters. We don’t get a lot of light in the winter so it’s hard to bring some plants in and keep them going. Although, I’ve had a basil plant growing indoors for about a year now and it does ok, nothing spectacular.
) that’s all I grew this year, I was short on time.
In the summer I grow lots and lots of rosemary (and different kinds), few kinds of basil, parsley, sage, lemongrass, cilantro (mine turned to seed due the summer heat
But plant what you think you would like to use in cooking. If you don’t like something you can always take it out and put something else in. And like @sillyheathen said if you want grow any type of mint plant make sure to plant it in a separate container bc their roots are runners and will take over everything.
@Star2236 N. IL here. How do you grow rosemary? Outside? How much sun? What fertilizer?
Never had any luck. Unless you count buying a bush, and pulling off the dead needles when it dies…
@G1 @Star2236 Same here! I know people who have large rosemary plants that live for years, but for me it always ends up dead.
@Star2236 I’m not up to outdoor gardening yet. I should. And I could attempt. And I planned to. But…
@Star2236 @unksol
Central AL here, and I have a (several year old) rosemary that is the size of a double sink vanity. Never gets very cold here for long so it never freezes back. Use the crap out of it often!
@Star2236 @unksol
Cilantro seeds… AKA: coriander.
@chienfou @unksol
Don’t really use coriander so I just toss is.
@Star2236 @unksol
re-seed?
@chienfou @Star2236 @unksol Coriander is really nice in baking, like in some bread recipes.
@G1
I buy my rosemary already started, I don’t grow it from seed. I put it in a pot that has a drainage hole and place it in a area that’s not in direct sunlight but still gets plenty of sun (I do under a tree branch). I really only water it when it’s super hot out or it hasn’t rained for a while otherwise I just let rain do it’s thing. This year we’ve had so much rain I’ve barley watered it. I really don’t do much for fertilizer either sometimes I’ll do some miracle grow but not a lot.
My guess is that your overwatering the rosemary. If it’s turning brown, its most likely due to overwatering. Rosemary really, really, needs to be in a good pot with good drainage. Put some perlite, styrofoam pieces, or rocks at the bottom of the pot for better drainage. Also only water when you can stick your finger an inch down and it’s dry. That’s my advice on rosemary, hope it helps.
@Kyeh I know they had corriander seeds dried but I could not think of a use for it on the spot. No harm in throwing some in the next batch of bread.
@unksol I guess they grind it first:
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/coriander-bread/7787503e-a793-44f6-9a9b-01070e4090c4
@Kyeh they have a LOT going on in that before and after the coriander. I’m a simple man. I toss things in the bread maker it does it’s job. I have good wheat bread.
Flour brownsuger salt water yeast
@unksol Hah, I do pretty much the same thing.
@G1 @Kyeh @Star2236 We have a large rosemary bush (about 3 ft. across) that has been growing for years in a bed next to the house. It tries to grow out into the lawn. I like it when the mower catches an errant branch - smells wonderful. (The fresh leaves/needles are also great for cooking.
)
I have noticed you can’t get any basil fresh here. Just these super expensive pod things. Or they try and sell you a plant
So the question was more if I was going to bother what would be a good set up of basic fresh indoor growable herbs. If I had them I might use them.
I happed to swing through the amish store Saturday and they had almost every dried spice/herb you could want at insanly low prices. I bought some stuff just to play with
@unksol
Accidently discovered you can root basil this summer! I had cut more than I needed for the caprese salad we were making so I put the tips of a couple stems in a shot glass full of water in the window box (see below) to use later. Lo and behold a few days went by and they started to send out roots! Transplanted them back into some dirt to see if they would do OK or if the water roots would not support a planting, and they did great. My current goal is to cut the tips off several of my regular and purple basils in the fall closer to frost season and use use them for the below mentioned herb tray.
I also divided and re-planted a bunch of regular and spicy oregano when I discovered it had overflowed into the mulch on the pathway. Planning to keep one or two of those for the window box even though the main plants will survive the winter (unless it gets unexpectedly crazy cold here). The rest of them will go to church will me some Sunday and I will give them away to any takers. (along with a bunch of sun coleus plants that I have generated from trimming back our plants this summer).
@chienfou thing is I can’t actually find fresh basil here. Not even in bunches. It’s just pods/paste.
And they say they could have plants. Hence the “what herb garden might function in these conditions and what could I put in it”
@chienfou @unksol just a thought
Outsidepride Sweet Basil Genovese Ocimum Basilicum Herb Plant Seed - 1/8 Lb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGQ3JO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_C5K8185NGQ4AYT4VPW7V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
@chienfou @unksol
Where do you live that you can’t find fresh basil? Do you have Amazon fresh? Or buy seeds online and grow it that way. Look for gardening stores/nurseries in your area call around and see if anybody has any basil plants. Local farmers is another option. We have an app called nextdoor in my area where it lets you connect with neighborhoods around you, ask on there or Craig’slist, Facebook for anybody growing basil in your area if they’ll give you some of their plant so you can start your own.
@chienfou @Star2236 in the Midwest where we have Kroger and Walmart and save-a-lot. And Amish stores that are awesome. Please no Amazon fresh. 10 Miles to everything which is really nothing but I’m always shocked when people think that is . Every option that you listed is city centric which I get works for you but just not here
Basil is temp sensitive and a little delicate and probably not bought much hence why they probably only stock those small tubs not bunches.
i can order seeds of course. I was thinking if I’m going to bother let’s get anything else that I might have a chance of not killing
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
@tinamarie1974 @unksol
Good price, but 2 oz of seed would plant a metric s*** ton of Basil
@chienfou @tinamarie1974 I don’t know the shit tonage ratio and that would be a lot but if local gardening centers and home depot does not have the seed packets settled on I guess it would be amazon. Hopefully smaller quantities
@chienfou @tinamarie1974 @unksol Yup, that’s anywhere from around 25,000 to over 90,000 seeds!!!
)
(Depending upon moisture content, of course…
@chienfou @Star2236 same they have tyme and rosemary and all that other refrigerated bunch stuff just not basil I think it’s a temp thing. But I’m bad about using them too. when I get it half rots in the fridge…
A functional plant must be better than that. If It can survive me
@chienfou @Star2236 @unksol @tinamarie1974
This might work for you:
https://www.amazon.com/Parsley-Basil-Cilantro-Oregano-Chives/dp/B08WWHDXYT/ref=asc_df_B08WWHDXYT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507604315818&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6108584124446035896&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028821&hvtargid=pla-1244536538564&psc=1#
Ugh, sorry about the ultra-long URL; tried to get a shorter one but didn’t.
@chienfou @unksol it is a lot, but it is like $7, and that is about what I pay for a plant.
Also, I would suspect the seeds will last for at least a few years? At least they do when I actually remember to grab them off my plant at the end of the year.
@chienfou @tinamarie1974 HOW do you do your herb garden might have been a better topic.
@chienfou @tinamarie1974 @unksol
Considering the basil plants in my garden are over 3 feet tall, 2oz of seed is definitely more than you could consume in a year.
I grow several plants and make pesto to freeze. I freeze them in silicone muffin cups, then pop them out and bag them. Perfect size for my wife and I to have pesto for dinner.
@chienfou @snotbottom @tinamarie1974 @unksol My wife also makes pesto cubes made with the herbs from the garden. It’s great on pasta along with some garlic and sun dried tomatoes (also from the garden) sauteed in olive oil.
@chienfou @Star2236
This is the version of fresh basil here
It you think it’s salvageable let’s try. The tiny package literally tells you to store it at room temperature. Which is where basil should be but Walmart stores it in a refrigerator. With the other herbs. So it’s probably damaged. Ends are already black
@chienfou @unksol
Cuts the bad ends off and try regrowing it. If it’s going to regrow it’s not gonna matter if you cut the bad ends off.
@chienfou @Star2236 I already did but I’m not optimistic. Looks very sad. If they had a large bunch out of the fridge where it belongs…
@chienfou @unksol
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/propagating-basil.htm
@chienfou @Star2236 I’m literally shocked they were drooping on the counter. The ones that survived are standing straight up. Walmart snapped stems in several places but I definitely did not expect that
@chienfou @unksol
Well good. It said to change the water every couple days also.
@chienfou @Star2236 yes. I’m not sure they’ll live but might as well try and see if they can get roots.
@Star2236 @unksol
They seem to be pretty tough plants. We just got back from 5 days out of town on a trip to Boston and Maine. When we got back last night the water was all gone out of the shot glass and they looked a bit droopy. I threw some water in them and they revived nicely overnight, but they DO have a fair number of roots already.
@chienfou @unksol
Pretty cool.
I have a ‘window box’ I put in when I built our kitchen. Pops out about 18 inches, and is about 6 ft wide. We keep assorted green plants on it pretty much year round. It faces south, so it is perfectly situated for herb growing in the winter. This year I am planning to put a tray in with 2 types of basil and maybe some cilantro and dill since these are the ones I have trouble keeping alive thru the winter. The rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley and chives do OK, but basil, dill, cilantro, and sage all seem to get frosted and die.
Never have had much luck with cilantro in the summer, though that is the time I would use it the most making pico de gallo from our fresh tomatoes. Always seems to burn up or bolt too soon, and I can only use so much coriander in a year. Maybe we can keep some cilantro alive over the winter to use in fresh salads etc.
@chienfou thanks. Sounds awesome.
Hard freeze here so anything outside would die so they have to be inside or potted and brought inside. Or started every year?
WORKER BEES! HERCULES! TURKEY GREASE! AWESOME!
@unksol
Sounds right, unless you maybe could use a cold frame on the south side of the house against the foundation.
@chienfou google tells me “cold frame” equates to greenhouse? Which was also thought of. Baby steps.
Can I grow a herb garden indoor and care enough about it and useit. If I can that’s a very small step to actually planting an outside garden with vegetables and annuals
Wasn’t there a garden thread this year or last? Can’t seem to find it
@unksol
This one maybe?
https://meh.com/forum/topics/whats-for-supper
@unksol
Cold frame can be very simple. The one I built years ago was just a collection of old windows screwed to hinges attached to a board that was fastened to a wall of the house low enough that they hit the ground a few feet out from the wall. The hinges allow you to open them up to keep them from getting TOO hot on full sunny/mild temperature days
@unksol
or maybe this one…
https://meh.com/forum/topics/garden-chat
@chienfou hmm I suppose I could build a mini one outside on the deck. That would get more sun than just the window. Especially. In winter with the trees leaves down.
But still have to have some general idiot proof stuff before I fail.
@unksol
small pots in window work well since it will be easy to keep track of water needs, they won’t freeze, you can pick off leaves as needed etc. I find that my garden does much better if I don’t overplant then resent/can’t find the time to keep it up properly.
@chienfou hence what can I plant indoors in that bay window and would be a useful fresh herb but I might not kill? I’m well aware I might murder everything but if I can’t keep them alive indoors… Not a good sign for branching out lol
@unksol
Basil is pretty easy and so is parsley. Oregano and rosemary can work too. Water when droopy.
@chienfou @unksol Chives are super easy.
How about some catnip while you’re at it?
@Kyeh
I have catnip seeds but I don’t really want to encourage anyone to get up on the counter. I have been told by a previous “girlfriend” that he was capable of that was “gross”…
And ok yes cat feet in litterbox but it’s not like he ever tracked anything up or she ever cooked. I did. And never prepped anything directly on the counter. And what do you want me to do. The fucker can launch at me if I’m gone too long. If he wants on the counter… wipe it down takes 2 seconds. If you don’t like pets…
That was not the major issue but no one’s been on the counter yet … Will grow any catnip/grass outside or ground level or buy from Lisa if she’s still selling. Don’t need cats on counters in general.
@unksol Oh, good point. Catnip outside in a pot on the patio maybe? I suppose you really don’t want to attract any more new kitties!
How is your brood doing, anyway?
@Kyeh they are still bouncing around like ping pong balls. Figured out how to get under the old college couch no surprise there kitkat and coco slept under there all the time. The biggest/boldest is the grey striped guy and idk exactly what he was up to but there was lots of noise Sunday morning and suddenly he and the cardboard came flying down the stairs. The appear to be sleeping at the moment I can only see mom’s ass on the cams. I got nothing when they are behind that old couch.
@unksol Are they friendly with you?
@Kyeh they are not unfriendly. They are used to me walking through. They will all play with me. I can get some pets in on two. Two of them the black one and one of the tan striped ones are more standoffish. But unlike Lisa’s that all look the same this one has a mark so I know who I’m dealing with.
Mom seems to be mostly content. She doesnt want to play but I’m up there an hour at a time she’s dealing with their constant BS. I suckered her in with some chicken and got some petting
If they are staying the boys are getting neutered for sure. I know two are. Not sure on the others cause they are skittish and I don’t need to grab them yet.
I never had the girls spayed because KitKat was the only male and he was fixed as a kitten. So when they showed up there was no need.
If they stay they are staying inside and can’t get knocked up. The boys though …
@unksol You’re a good cat dad!
@Kyeh well this is a new development.
@Kyeh @unksol oh shit
@tinamarie1974 @unksol Is that one of the kittens? Looks like you’ve got one like the one @Kidsandliz calls “goat cat.”
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @tinamarie1974 yeah. It’s just a waist high wall any cat can and would get on. I did not think a kitten could which means they can jump the gate if they really want.
@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 @unksol Yeah the trouble will be if a second one jumps up there and attacks the first one. Over the edge one or both may go. Kittens are stupid when it comes to things like that.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @tinamarie1974 all the cats have walked that wall. I accidentally scared coco off it once. KitKat missed a jump to his cat tree once. They were both fine although scared the crap out of me. It’s high enough they have enough time to properly orient for a landing. And they are out again
Check out https://www.artisticgardens.com/
They have a very nice selection, and sample-sized seed packets for 40 cents (they even have a bundle of 50 different packets for $20). Nice way to try a lot of things without breathing the bank. I’ve not tried their plants, but I buy seed from them every year.
Here’s a pic of my indoor garden, which isn’t much. On the left if my basil plant I started from seeds maybe a year ago, and it lives in an IKEA self-watering rectangular planter. To the left of that basil plant is a Thai basil plant that I picked up in mid-August at the Lowe’s near where I live, and I transplanted it into a clay pot that is held together by super glue. The other small pots around hold dead or dying succulents. The garish pink light is just one of those 3-headed monster grow lights you find on Amazon, and then I added an iHome desk lamp with wireless charging, purchased from everyone’s favorite daily deals website, right there, too. In this set-up, cilantro failed 3 times, dill failed, oregano failed, chives grew okay, and I killed a couple of Christmas rosemary shrubs. I want a BAY TREE. I had been getting a Bayleaf Wreath from WS or PB and pluck on that bad boy for nearly a year until I get a new one, and it didn’t kill me. Lol. Hoping that I did the attach photo thing right
@talv0002 I’m an idiot. My basil is on the right side of the photo in the white, rectangular IKEA self-watering planter.
@talv0002 Does the pink light do special things for the plants?
I started growing basil, cilantro, arugula and other herbs on the window. I hope I can grow something.
@kyeh my first successful Buddha’s hand!!! It still has a ways to go but I’m stoked!
@sillyheathen
It’s not Buddha’s hand
The eldritch alternative
Cthulu goatee
@sillyheathen Woohoo! That’s fabulous! It looks like it’s going to be huge. What are your plans for it?
@replicacobra @sillyheathen
Yeah, I see it…
Cthulu!