Growing Herbs in Containers

How to Grow Herbs in Pots

Growing herbs is a delight anyone can enjoy, whether you have a sprawling garden or just a tiny balcony. With the right selection, you can cultivate herbs in any environment, from a shady basement yard to a sun-drenched balcony. The key is matching the plant to the conditions.

For herbs that crave good drainage and sunlight, use pots that you can move around to maximize their exposure to light. If your soil is sandy, keep moisture-loving herbs in tubs placed in shaded areas to maintain the right level of moisture.

Where to Grow

Perennial culinary, medicinal herbs, and dye plants can thrive in borders or rockeries, just like any other flowers. Annual herbs such as coriander and parsley do well in vegetable gardens. Remember to leave some plants to flower, which will attract beneficial insects. Umbelliferous herbs, like fennel and caraway, with their umbrella-shaped flower clusters, and labiate herbs, like mints and sages, with their square stems and distinctive flowers, are particularly good for this purpose.

For a decorative touch, consider using herbs to create low hedges or intricate knotwork patterns. Woody Mediterranean species such as lavender, hyssop, rosemary, and winter Savory are excellent for these designs, as they respond well to pruning. Even scented geraniums can make a lovely summer edging.

Moisture Seekers and Sun Lovers

Herbs generally fall into two categories: moisture seekers and sun lovers.

Moisture Seekers

Mints, including the potent peppermint-flavoured pennyroyal, thrive in rich, damp soil in shaded or dappled sunlight. The Bergamot family (Monarda), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), lovage, parsley-leafed celery, horseradish, and angelica also prefer moist conditions and can handle some sun.

Sun Lovers

For hot, dry spots with excellent drainage, consider thymes, catmints, bay trees, and marjorams. These herbs flourish in low-nutrient conditions and produce more essential oils during droughts. Stroke their leaves on a sunny day and enjoy their sticky, fragrant oils on your fingers.

How to Sow

You can grow many herbs from seed, with hardy perennials being particularly easy. Sow them in pots or modules using a gritty compost with gentle heat, either on a windowsill or in a cold frame in spring. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots and harden them off once they have four or five true leaves.

Half-hardy annuals like basil and sweet marjoram should be sown in modules or pots and not planted out until after the last frost. In cooler regions, they may do better indoors on a sunny windowsill. Give them the warmest, sunniest, and most sheltered spot you can find.

Umbelliferous plants like dill and angelica dislike being disturbed, so sow them directly where they are to grow. Once the soil warms up, sow coriander, cumin, and anise directly in the ground. Parsley can be slow to germinate, but with warmth and fresh seed, you’ll have success.

Making More of Your Herbs

Some herbs, such as borage and evening primrose, can spread vigorously. While managing these, remember that self-seeding borage indicates a well-balanced soil. Handle borage with gloves to avoid irritation from its tiny hairs.

Mint, lemon balm, and chives form large clumps easily, which can be divided to create new plants. Energetic thyme varieties, chamomile, and Good King Henry can also be propagated this way. Special coloured forms, like golden thyme, might need to be grown from cuttings.

Softwood Cuttings

Softwood cuttings should be taken early in the morning when hormone levels are highest. Select a vigorous, non-flowering shoot, trim off the lower leaves, and cut the stem just below a leaf node. Insert the cutting into a pot of gritty compost, cover it with a plastic bag to maintain humidity, and keep it out of direct sunlight. Herbs like catnip, chamomile, feverfew, horehound, hyssop, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, and savory take well from softwood cuttings.

Semi-soft or Green Wood Cuttings

Semi-soft cuttings are taken later in the plant’s growth. This method is suitable for herbs with shorter nodes, such as Wood Sage and Caraway Thyme. The shoot should bend without snapping and spring back when released. Follow the same procedure as for softwood cuttings.

Harvesting Herbs

Harvest herbs on a warm, sunny day after the dew has dried and just before they flower to capture maximum flavour. Dry leafy herbs by hanging them upside down in a dark, airy place.

No matter the size of your garden, even if it’s just a window box, growing herbs can significantly enhance your space with their scents, colours, and textures. Their resilience and ability to thrive in challenging conditions make them a perfect addition to any home.

Happy gardening

Orlaith