Herb Guide News

Herb Guide News brings you tips and advice on growing and using herbs.

April 11, 2006 12:02 - Chive Plants Dying

Chives die down naturally in autumn (fall) so if it's that time of year in your part of the world, then they're just doing what comes naturally.

If you want to keep them growing all year round, you'll have to take some indoors - check out the growing chives indoors section on this page.

If it's not that time of year, and your chive plants are in the garden and dying off, then they're either overcrowded or thirsty - they like lots of water.

So - give them a good drink first and see if they revive.

If that's not the case, then dig them up and look at the bulbs. Be careful when you're doing it, so that you don't damage the clump.

Very carefully, separate the bulbs. Keep the healthiest and replant them in clumps of three or four.

Keep them well watered and give them some tender loving care whilst they re-establish themselves.

If your chive plant is in a pot - then it's possible that they're overcrowded, dry or too wet.

Hmm.. well, overcrowded is easy - dry is easy too - but too wet?

Well - plants can be too wet and it's not always easily remediable - the soil beomes waterlogged and the plants can die.

This is easy to do in a pot and the symptoms of over or under watering are often the same - you can tell the difference by looking at the soil.

Take the chives out of the pot - if the soil is very wet then you're lucky it's chives - you can separate the bulbs from the soil and re-plant in new compost - if it had been another plant with one root system, then you might lose it.

Try and strike a happy balance - it's not easy if you're new to gardening, but feel the soil - if it's damp on top, then don't water - if it's dry on top, give the plants a little.

With experience, you'll soon learn what's enough.

April 9, 2006 02:32 - Growing Parsley

Geoff sent me an email yesterday asking why growing parsley is considered difficult.

There's lots of old wives tales about it going to the devil seven times or only growing in households where the woman's in charge - but that's a load of nonsense.

I sowed some parsley on Sunday 28th March and it germinated on Friday 7th April - that's just 12 days.

At the same time I sowed french beans - germinated in 3 days - tomatoes - 4 days and basil - 6 days.

Germination time for parsley is up to 8 weeks - so my 12 days is miraculous - but not really - that's what happens most years.

If you look at what I sowed that day, you'll see that the difference is the early germinators are annuals - parsley is a biennial.

A plant's life cycle consists of growing and reproducing - an annual does that in one year, generally spring to autumn,

A biennial does it over two years - germinates and puts down a solid root system in year one and then flowers and makes seed in year two - then the parent plant dies.

We use parsley's leaves as a herb - that's not part of parsley's plan - we're interfering with it's life cycle.

Parsley takes longer to germinate, because it has a longer life - it has a two year growth cycle before reproducing.

So you're being impatient if you expect parsley to germinate quickly - it's in no hurry to get going, because it has two years to reproduce - the fact that you want to use its leaves to make a sauce cuts no ice at all :-)

If you stop to consider what you do when you deadhead flowering annuals - you're stopping them making seed, which is the signal to the plant to stop producing flowers - the plant only stops when it gets too cold to carry on.

I sowed my parsley in a pot which is on my kitchen windowsill - directly above the sink - it's warm and has humiditiy, which is why it germinated quickly - if you sow outdoors, then expect to wait 5 to 8 weeks.

Lots of gardeners will sow a quick ripening crop like radish at the same time - personally, I wouldn't bother as harvesting radish would disturb the parsley, but that's up to you.

There's a saying - patience is a virtue, have it if you can, seldom in a woman, never in a man,

We should amend that to say - always in a gardener...

A basic knowledge of a plant's life cycle will give you realistic expectations of its performance - don't be impatient.

April 8, 2006 11:52 - How to Divide Thyme

I had an email - yes, I get loads - asking how to divide thyme.

These instructions go for any plant that has either outgrown its spot, become 'leggy' or you simply want to increase your stocks.

Some plants, like chives for instance, need to be divided every few years - they can 'choke' each other if you don't - too many bulbs competing for the water and nutrition.

Thyme is another plant that needs to be divided every three to four years - so here's how to do it.

In either Autumn (Fall) or Spring, dig up your plant, taking care not to damage the roots with the fork.

Lay it on the ground and brush away some of the soil, so that you can see what you're doing.

Decide how many pieces you are going to divide your plant into and very gently separate the top growth to that many.

Holding the growth as carefully as you can, gently work your fingers into the root ball and pull apart.

Try not to damage the stems and keep the root damage to a minimum - if you meet resistance, have a closer look and see if there's a better spot to separate the plant.

When you've finished, then you need to replant as quickly as possible.

Put some compost or feed in the bottom of your planting hole and 'puddle' with water - that means just fill the hole - it will drain away, but give the new thyme plant a good drink.

Put the plant into the hole and pack soil round the roots - heel in to ensure you've got no air pockets.

Keep the plant well watered and provide a bit of shade if you can - it's had an awful shock! - just give it some tender loving care for a week or two.

If you're planting into pots, then put them in the shade until they appear to have recovered.

April 7, 2006 14:01 - Growing Basil Outdoors

I had an email about growing basil outdoors and it's perfectly possible outside the mediterranean if you follow a few simple tips.

Basil needs a sunny sheltered spot in your garden and likes good fertile soil - full growing instructions here. Basil is a tender annual - that means it likes the weather hot and sunny - don't we all - and is susceptible to frost damage.

There are two points that might help you here - firstly, basil only takes 9 to 12 weeks to mature - that's quick and it means that you don't need to worry about time too much.

Basil will grow right up until the beginning of autumn - which in the northern hemisphere means that you can sow basil outdoors up until June (mid summer) and still get mature plants that year.

The other thing is that you can protect the basil with a cloche if you want to.

I have instructions on making a bottle cloche in this blog on the 1st April entry

Either sow the seed indoors in trays and use the cloche to warm the soil then translplant the seedlings before the end of spring.

Or you can use the cloche to warm the soil, then plant the basil seed directly into the soil and use the cloche to create a mini greenhouse until the frosts have passed.

Either way, you'll get a head start on the outdoor growing season by using the cloche to protect the basil.

Remove the cloche during the day in late spring when it's sunny and remember to cover again at night until the end of spring.

Your basil plants need to be about 1 ft (30cm) apart - they can grow to about 2 ft (60cm) tall in the one year's growing season.