Top 5 Things to Consider When Growing Herbs in Pots Herb.

Although most herb plants are suitable for container, some are easier to grow in pots than the others. Check the growing requirement of the herb you've chosen to plant and make sure that you can meet the conditions they need to grow and thrive. Container. Choose containers based on the herbs that you want to grow. How many herbs are you going to plant in a container? How tall are your herbs? How long are their roots? Also, deciding where to put your potted herbs can help you pick suitable containers. Having an outdoor container garden means you need sturdier and more durable pots that can withstand the elements and last a long time. For indoor container gardening , you may want to choose ornamental pots that can double as decorations in your home. After you've considered all these factors, make sure that your containers have enough drainage holes. Drainage holes must be small enough to keep the soil in the pot, but large enough to drain water from the soil. Location. When you pick a location for your potted herbs, whether its indoor or outdoor, make sure that it's favorable for your herbs. Some herbs may require more sun than the others. Some are more susceptible to cold winds and there are other that prefer shady areas. Potting Soil. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when growing herbs in pots is using an ordinary garden soil. Garden soil, even if it's rich with nutrients, is just too heavy for your potted herbs. Use two parts of good, sterile potting soil, one part perlite to make the soil 'lighter' and one part compost to give your herbs the nutrient boost they need to grow. Perlite and compost are good potting soil amendments because they help to retain water and make the soil less compact allowing air to pass through. Fertilizer. Potted plants require more fertilizer because they deplete nutrients quicker than those grown in the ground. Mix in compost with the potting soil and use slowreleased organic fertilizers to give a more steady supply of nutrients. Exposing to the sun. Generally, most herbs are sun-lovers, thus, exposing them under the sun is an essential. While others can tolerate minimal exposure, there are herbs that thrive better in full sun. Know the sun requirement of your herbs and adjust accordingly. Outdoors, place your potted herbs in a location where they can get the amount of sunlight they require. Indoors, put them near windows, doors or any openings that receive the most sunlight. But be careful not to place them under direct sunlight for too long because they tend to wilt. Watering. Herbs in pots must be watered more often because they don't have enough soil to hold water. Although, some herbs prefer to slightly dry out between waterings. Fertilizing. Fertilize your herbs periodically, or when they look pale and unhealthy. Never use chemical-based fertilizers because it can affect the taste of your herbs. Likewise, these type of fertilizers promote quick rather than slow and healthy growth. Herbs that are grown too fast too soon often have less oils and flavors than those that grew slower and bushier. So go easy when applying fertilizers. If you planted with a good, nutrient-filled potting mix, chances are you won't need to feed your herbs often. Pruning. Pruning encourages bushy growth, which is how you would like your herbs to be. This is especially true for culinary herbs, the more you use them, the more they will grow. During harvest, make sure to harvest no more than 2/3 of your herbs to allow the leaves to grow back.

Deadheading. Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers to prevent your herbs from seeding. Once they've seeded, they'll think that their work is done and will stop growing. Sniping off spent flowers will trick them to grow more leaves. Top 5 Tips About Watering Potted Herbs 1. Allow potted herbs to moderately dry out, but not wilt, between watering. A good indication that you need to water your potted herbs is if 3 to 4 inches of the soil already feels dry to the touch. 2. Don't water from above but wet the soil instead. Excess water in the leaves can cause fungal infection and other diseases. You can soak potted herbs in water. Lining the base of your pots with gravel, stones or grit will ensure that water will drain out from the soil. This will also prevent the soil from re-absorbing water if it's sitting on a saucer. 3. The smaller the pot, the faster it dries out. So water herbs in small pots more frequently. 4. Terra cotta and unglazed clay pots allow moisture in the soil to evaporate more quickly so the herbs in these types of containers need to be watered more often than those in plastic, metal and glazed pots. It's best to water during morning before your potted herbs are exposed to the heat of the sun. Basil Well-drained soil is good soil for basil Fiskars 50010C 10-Inch Terrapot Taper Planter, Color Clay Keep the temperature fairly warm with lots of sunlight (at least six hours a day). Basil likes warmer temperatures (over 50F/10C) so I grow mine in the summer outside. If you're growing it outside, a layer or mulch will help regulate temperature and prevent weeds from growing. Fertilize the soil about once a month if you're growing it indoors. Organic or slowrelease fertilizers (like compost tea) are best for basil. Just don't fertilize it below 60F/16C. Water often in hot weather. I watered once a day when the temperatures got really hot this summer. But in more normal conditions, I water every other day or so. Check your soil to make sure it isn't getting dry either way. Prune! Pruning leads to more basil. Start pruning the top leaves at around six inches tall and continue to prune as it gets bushier. Also, pinch off any flowers that you see so they don't go to seed. That will lead to bland and sparse plants. use good potting soil, but they will do okay in most dirt. They like full sunshine and I water them every other day unless it is over 100F/38C, then I water daily. Once a

month, I mix up a plant food in their water and soak them good. I prune them two to three times a week, preferably in the evening if it is going to be roasting hot, so the stems don't bake. I make pesto to freeze, or just crush the basil and freeze in little muffin tins with olive oil. Or there is basil syrup for tea and best of all BASIL LEMONADE! For lots of beautiful flowers, choose a hydrangea thats cold hardy in your garden zone (See our Plant Finder). Check the plant tag to see if it requires sun or shade, so you can plant it in the right spot. Early summer and fall are the best times to plant. Put your hydrangea where you wont have to prune it. These shrubs grow vigorously, and besidestheyre big and beautiful by nature. Plant in soil that drains easily, and add good organic material, if needed, to help loosen it. Dont plant your hydrangea any deeper than it was growing in the pot. Avoid planting under trees, where the roots will compete for moisture and nutrients. Keep your hydrangea watered for the first couple of years, to help develop strong roots. But dont let water stand around your plants. Oakleafs are especially prone to root rot when they are kept too wet. Fertilize once a year with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer, or fertilize twice a year with 10-10-10. Commercial manure or compost is an organic alternative. Stop fertilizing by August to let your hydrangea get ready to go dormant. Putting the garden to bed for the winter is mostly a matter of cleaning up and covering up. As fall progresses and temperatures drop, those plants that aren't killed outright by frost prepare for dormancy. Clear out the blackened stems and foliage of annual flowers and vegetables to prevent the possibility of their harboring disease pathogens and insect eggs over the winter. The cool weather is a good time to make a cold frame, dig and box in raised beds, and make general repairs. While it appears as if all activity in the garden has stopped, there's a lot going on under the soil until it freezes. Newly transplanted trees and shrubs, divisions of perennials, and hardy bulbs are all growing roots, drawing on soil nutrients and moisture around them. Earthworms and various microbes in the soil are still processing the organic material they're finding. Most likely, the organic mulch you spread to protect the soil during the summer months has substantially decomposed. It's important to spread new mulch now -a thicker winter layer -- to protect plants and soil over the winter months. The idea is not so much to keep the soil warm as it is to keep the temperature even. Once the soil is frozen, mulch keeps it frozen. So if you have shade trees, convert the fallen leaves to mulch and use it throughout your property. Weather Snow both protects and endangers plants. A good snow cover insulates the soil like a mulch. However, snow piled on evergreen branches weights them down, risking breakage. Knock snow from the bottom branches first, then work upward. This way snow from above will not add weight to the already burdened lower branches. If branches are bowed by ice, don't try to free them. Instead let the ice melt and release them gradually.

5. Cut back dry stems of perennials to soil level after frost to neaten the garden and remove pest eggs and disease spores that may linger. Leave stems with attractive seed heads for winter interest. Compost dead plant debris to create an organic soil conditioner. Hot, active piles kill weed seeds and disease pathogens; passive, inactive piles do not. Throw questionable plant material in the trash.

Cut off diseased foliage from evergreen plants and shrubs and discard it in the trash. Rake up and discard the old, disease-bearing mulch, too. 6. To prevent rodents from nesting in the soil, wait until the ground freezes before adding a 6-inch layer of organic material as winter mulch. Mulch perennial and shrub beds with pine needles or chopped leaves. This protects both plant roots and the soil and moderates the effects of extreme temperature changes during winter freezes and thaws.

Mulch bulb beds with evergreen boughs to protect the soil from shifting and cracking during the winter. Otherwise plants, especially small, shallowly planted bulbs, can be heaved to the surface.