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valeriehaz

What I am learning...

valeriehaz
12 years ago

I am learning so much from all the reading on here! It sounds like for herbs you have to do a sowing about midseason to get fresh herbs all summer. I have now sowed my corriander seeds for more cilantro and my dill seeds. For other herbs such as basil, rosemary and parsley, will these last all summer? Also, what is the best way to have fresh herbs survive indoors in the winter (I live in 5b OH) so you have them all year round, is this even possible? I do have grow lights, I do not know how to use them yet. As posted before I am still very new to this hobby :). Thank you

Comments (6)

  • pagirlmint
    12 years ago

    I'm in PA, 6a.
    I've learned that unless you have ALOT of space & time to bother with them, keeping herbs from dying back (even indoors) is not worth it. The basil is most likely not going to survive no matter what you do, the parsley might survive but probably will got dormant & the rosemary needs to be kept warm (think 80's+F) to keep from going dormant.
    I didn't keep my parsley last year, but I did cover my rosemary & put a light in when it got really cold, it's still alive (although the picky thing doesn't love my yard..).

  • flora_uk
    12 years ago

    pagirlmint - rosemary is a woody, evergreen shrub. It does not 'go dormant' in the winter but neither should it be growing vigorously. It should be sitting quietly waiting for the spring and taking a rest. But you can still harvest all year round. 80f is not necessary or even desirable as it is likely to lead to sappy, etiolated growth which will be disease prone. It should be grown as 'hard' as it will take. Rosemary will take temps a little below freezing for short periods and does so regularly in my garden where it is about 19 years old now.

    You say the 'picky thing doesn't love my yard'. If you read my answer to your lavender question I think you will see why it is not happy. Rosemary and lavender come from the same native habitat and require similar conditions.

  • pagirlmint
    12 years ago

    In going dormant I meant that it won't grow like it does in the warmer months, but yes you can still harvest it. Like I said it is really not worth it to bring it inside.
    80F was the number given to me by my nursery, but as I said in my other post my nursery sucks.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    12 years ago

    Rosemary is still alive here after the past winter - down to around 13 degrees at night for a couple weeks. I think drainage in winter, un-soggy conditions, is the critical factor.

  • oliveoyl3
    12 years ago

    For me mulched parsley overwinters & is usable until it starts to flower in late spring/early summer. I can pick it even if ground is frozen as long as I can move the ice & snow away from it.

    You might try keeping a large container of parsley on a covered porch or near the foundation of the house for winter. It may look a bit dark & frozen, but doesn't die even to 13 degrees. It bounces back in milder temps & grows ever so slowly throughout the winter, but picks up again in spring when the daffodils are blooming.

    I've kept parsley & chives on the front porch potted up with pansies for a lovely fall container that was easy to harvest until hard frosts knocked back the chives. Then that pot of chives was 1st to sprout in spring because I left it close to the front door on the porch.

    There's still time to sow parsley now in flats for harvesting before your winter. I had great results with germination in June.

    -soak seed in warm water w/ a few drops of dish soap for 2 hours
    -use a sharpened pencil to dip into seeds & touch potting soil to plant
    -covered flat loosely with a clear plastic bag & a few holes in it & put it on top of the refrigerator
    -checked to make sure there was condensation, but I could still see through the bag in places

    -germination in 5 days!
    -gradually expose to increasing sunlight & keep moist, but not wet
    -transplant carefully & keep moist with mulch

  • pagirlmint
    12 years ago

    You say your lows were like 13F at night, did you cover it or just leave it go? Our winters at night are on average around 16-20F but it can easily get down to 3F and below. I kept mine covered & on the cold nights put in a light.