I had an email the other day asking how to rescue a leggy rosemary bush.
Sian had just moved house and there was a lovely herb garden, but it had been neglected.
The Rosemary bush was very leggy and there was only a little top growth - she wanted to know if she should prune it to encourage growth.
I wouldn't - the chances are, that it would die - cutting into old wood invariably results in the plant dying.
In this instance, I would use a technique known as 'earthing up' - it's useful for all woody shrubs and herbs and results in strong growth within the year's growing season.
The ideal time to do this is at the end of the growing year - by late spring you should have vigorous growth. However, it can be done in early spring if necessary - any time of year could work on the basis that you've not got a useful plant anyway - but best is late autumn.
There are two ways and which you choose will depend on the position of your rosemary bush.
Either - dig up the rosemary from its present spot with as much root ball as you can manage. Dig a bigger hole in another spot and plant the rosemary so that the woody stems are covered in soil - just leave the tips showing.
Or pile earth up over the plant leaving only the tips showing.
The rosemary bush will root up the stems.
The next year, you can either leave it to continue growing or lift it and replant it back in the herb garden - or you could divide it - there will be many potential plants there each with its own root system.
If you look at my section for Growing Herbs, you will find each herb has a 'rescue remedy' for when you inherit a neglected herb garden.
Look our for the next entry on how to manage a very large rosemary bush - they can grow to enormous proportions :-)
A lot of people think about growing herbs for profit and it's quite an easy thing to do if you've got the right conditions and temperament.
By that I mean, if you have enough space - a tray of seedlings doesn't take up much room, but when those seedlings are put into plant pots, they need a lot more.
You will need surface areas that won't be damaged by spilt water and light airy conditions free from frost.
The plants will need careful looking after - more so than if you were just growing them for your own use - you're going to be asking people to spend good money on these plants - what's acceptable for your kitchen window - a few brown leaves/straggly plants - isn't good enough to put on sale.
You will need to be at home daily (or be able to pay somebody) for around 12 weeks - from sowing to selling - that's to water, nip out and nurture your herbs.
Having said all that, the rewards are great - for a small investment you can have hundreds of plants for sale - and you can 'try out' whether you're really cut out for growing herbs for profit for a minimal investment.
If it works on a small scale, then try expanding - a friend and I are talking about renting a greenhouse and field - at the moment it's just talk and I think we're a bit scared to 'jump' - I'll keep you posted on that one.
You need to consider where you're going to sell your herb plants and for how much - look at what the local shops are selling them for and think about a yard sale, car boot sale or market stall - or approach your local shops with them.
For more information look at my page here Growing Herbs For Profit where I go into a little more detail about the topic.
