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saj519

Planning my massive herb garden--input please!

saj519
13 years ago

Hello everyone!

I like I'm sure all of you am starting to organize and plan for my gardens this year, as my frost-free date is about May 15th here in Ohio, so I'll start my seeds in March, but I would like some input on a few things:

1. Heating from underneath...those of you that do this, how do you go about it? I'm afraid heating pads for the quantity of herbs I want to grow could be astronomical. Do certain herbs need it more than others?

2. Lighting...I plan to use fluorescent bulbs over my starting trays, as I have only one, small window with southern exposure. Can I use just normal fluorescent bulbs?

3. seeds v. plants...I'd like to do as many of my herbs from seed as possible, to keep cost down. I'm an avid cook and burn through herbs quickly so I'm planning on growing high quantities of several different herbs. From what I've read on this forum, it seems I may be better off to just buy a few oregano plants instead of go through the hassle of seeds when I don't use that much oregano anyway.

4. Fertilizing...I am a big-time believer in fertilizing with fish, as I have always had amazing results, do I need to worry about the decomposed fish in the soil affecting the taste of my herbs?

Forgive my long-windedness! I'd really appeciate any input you may have!

Comments (7)

  • leira
    13 years ago

    First, let me address the seed starting questions. First of all, heat mats aren't strictly necessary, and even if you want to use them, you'll want to remove them after your seeds spout -- otherwise, they'll get leggy. That way, you can rotate them through, and start seeds sequentially. However, as I said, heat mats aren't necessary, they'll just speed germination a bit.

    Yes, you can use plain old fluorescent lights for seedlings. 4' shop lights are inexpensive and work just fine. Also, for seed-starting, don't worry about fancy "grow" lights, and just use regular bulbs. For seed-starting, the amount of light is more important than the spectrum.

    For slow-growing perennials, I might start seeds sooner than March. It's certainly true that buying plants is easier than growing from seed, but if you feel up to it, go right ahead. I have grown herbs from seed successfully, including oregano, which I first planted as a child, and it has re-seeded itself and is still going strong more than 30 years later.

    Whether you start with plants or seeds, for perennials I would suggest that you plan to be cautious in your harvesting this year. Many of them are slow-growing, and will benefit from being allowed to establish themselves so that they can take off in their second year or so. Annuals are a different story.

    I definitely encourage you to do this, though. Establishing a perennial herb bed is probably the best garden thing I've ever done.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    13 years ago

    The bottom heat issue could easily be resolved if you did all of your seeding in one or two flats. Once the seeds have germinated and grown an inch or two, they can all be transplanted into their individual cell packs or pots. No bottom heat is needed at that time!

    You can sow hundreds of seeds in one flat, in neat rows carefully labeled so that you can germinate as many different kinds of seeds as you want to in each flat.

    Another good reason for doing it this way is that you can use a coarser (faster draining) medium for the transplants that you would want to for the seeds. The coarser, the better....for rapid root development, ease of watering without causing problems, etc.

  • leira
    13 years ago

    Oh, I forgot to address your fish fertilizer question. Many people will tell you that herbs don't really need fertilizer at all, and it's certainly true that the perennial ones don't need much. When they grow in less-fertile soil, the flavors can be intensified.

    [Basil is somewhat of an exception to this...having done it both ways, I would fertilize basil.]

    However, if you want to use fish fertilizer, I don't think you'll have a problem with off-flavors as long as you're careful not to spill any on the leaves.

  • mintygreen
    13 years ago

    I too am planning an extensive herb garden, I want lots of varieties but don't have that tons of space. I found a seed supplier (Artistic Gardens) that offers TONS of different herb seeds in sample packs, that can have anywhere from three to 50 seeds (depending on the size/variety of seed) for 35 cents each! I am definitely going to be getting the majority of my seeds through them (already picked out over 60). It's worth a look. I'm going to try winter sowing the majority of my seeds as well (still learning about it) because I just don't have the space to do it inside.

    Anyway, good luck and I hope I helped!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Artistic Gardens

  • saj519
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    thank you to each and every one of you. I really appreciate the feedback! Less than a month til d-day when I start everything inside! Building my beds this weekend outside...hoping for decent weather! Mintygreen, totally gonna check that one out! I've been craving a mojito with mint from my garden..mmmm the taste of summer! Haha although it can get a little out of control, mint grows so rapidly, I feel obliged to make more and more of them! lol

  • fatamorgana2121
    13 years ago

    If this is your first foray into seed starting, stick with the stuff that is easy to start from seed. Leave the difficult ones until you have more experience. Even then they can still be frustrating.

    Be sure to harden your plants to outdoor conditions before planting them in your gardens. Failure rate is high if you do not.

    FataMorgana

  • tracydr
    13 years ago

    Don't put fennel and dill or parsley and cilantro too close together! Just a tip I learned last year. You'll have a heck of a time telling the plants apart without tasting them.

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