Question about herbs

[max13077]

I was perusing a local plantations greenhouses yesterday when I happened to find a sale on potted herbs. They were 80% off! So I bought a bunch of them. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, and the like. Question is, can I keep them inside over the winter? You know get a grow light or something. I love having them outdoors, but I never tried growing them in the winter.

 

[SarahFair]

Edited cause I am silly

 

[max13077]

A couple of them like the time and rosemary say "perennial" on them. I don't know. They are very hit and miss outdoors in my garden. Some years they come back up, others they don't. I guess maybe these would be the same.

 

[Camelot Farms]

I over-winter mine!

All herbs are perennials. They will grow just about forever

Just make sure that they get lots of light. I keep mine in the kitchen window.

Or, you can pot them all in one big container, and leave them outside for the winter and then in the spring, divide them up and plant them in your garden when they have re-started themselves.

Enjoy.

 

[SarahFair]

Oh how neat! I never knew anything about herbs before. I thought they would just be a waste of my time.

Im going to try them out.

So you can eat off them during the winter if kept inside w/ plenty of light?
Which leads to...how much light?

 

[cat]

Lucky you!

Rosemary grows all year round, its not an anual so you can keep it no problem. Mine lives out all year but my winter temp is probably only -10. Mint comes back each year but basil and cilantro die out.

I make my extra herbs into herb butter for putting over steaks etc. Just chop finely the ones you like together, mix with softened butter and put into ice cube trays in the freezer. When frozen, pop out and put into a plastic bag in freezer. If you grill meat just pop a cube on each before serving or add to stews etc.

 

[max13077]

OMG Cat, you're making my mouth water!!!

 

[Camelot Farms]

SarahFair....you made me laugh

with your 'edited cause I'm silly'

And they will take as much natural light as you can give them. I dont think there's such a thing as too much light in the winter months....Brrrrr.

Max, my herb garden in western NY got morning sun and afternoon shade and was blocked from wind. We were about an hour from the FL region.

I was able to winter over all of the mints, the thymes, lemon balm, the chives, rosemary and a couple others that I cant remember.

If your garden area isnt wind protected, you can give it an extra 6 inches of mulch on the perrenials (that I never think I spell right) and they should come through for you.

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
You are in upstate New York, so I'm sorry to say, rosemary definitely won't live outdoors unless you have a very special, protected microclimate for it (like a greenhouse!!). Oregano and thyme will overwinter just fine in the ground.

You can keep rosemary in the house provided you give it the conditions it wants. It's a Mediterranean plant, for winters it wants lots of sun and good soil moisture, but not constantly wet. Let the soil surface dry (the two inch or so should be dry) a bit before the next watering - overwatering will kill it, but so will letting the whole pot go dry. It expects coolness (but not freezing) 50-60 degrees, which is a bit cooler than most of us like our homes to be. Make sure the pot is adequately sized for the plant, and turn it a quarter turn every week or so so it doesn't grow lopsided.

You may have a problem with powdery mildew, it's unsightly, but bear with it, once you put the plant out for the spring it will go away (for the most part, but if it gets severe, it can defoliate and kill the plant). It can be controlled by spraying with an ultrafine horticultural oil, but better to avoid it by making sure the plant gets excellent air circulation around it.

Good luck with it, and let us know how it goes!

 

[ducks4you]

Definitely over-winter your herbs--they smell great inside!
BTW, several herbs will fill in areas prone to weeds AND they pull out easily if you decide later on you don't want them there.
mint --common, spearmint, chocolate-mint (yes, it smells like chocolate!)
oregano --spreads like a bad cold
sage --common, Russian (very pretty), they keep coming back AND, I don't store it, I pick leaves OUTSIDE throughout the winter to cook inside chicken or turkey
dill weed -- not as easy to grow as the previously mentioned, but smells great and you can harvest the seeds

See, also, if you can pick up herb-growing kits on clearance. Congrats on your find, though.

Can't seem to keep rosemary coming back outside, but I think I need to make my rosemary a pot plant that winters inside and porches in the summer. Lavendar has a hard time in my soil--acidic from lots of humus. Anybody got any hints?