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gosssamer

Survivability of herbs outdoors during winter

gosssamer
9 years ago

Hi, I'm in northern NJ, where today it's already down to 40F, and will obviously eventually go below zero. Time to cut off the last of the basil and cilantro, but what about rosemary and my scallions?

Will rosemary and scallions survive the winter, and sprout again next spring? Are they perennial? I know my chives come back every year, but this is my first time with rosemary and scallions outside.

Thanks!

Comments (21)

  • Peter1142
    9 years ago

    Rosemary may or may not survive a northern NJ winter. You may want to provide some protection. It is a perennial.

    Scallions are biennial (two year life cycle) and AFAIK should come back if you don't harvest them.. but most people would harvest and eat them.

  • drmbear Cherry
    9 years ago

    I don't think you'll have any problem with the onions through the winter. I grow these Egyptian Topsetting onions for "scallions," and I think it is about impossible to kill them. As for rosemary, it is hard to say. It is a perennial, but the hardiness of it is not the best. I had rosemary plants growing in my yard for 7 years in MD and over 5 years in VA with no problems at all. But last winter was kinda cold, and several spring-planted rosemary plants at my new house didn't make it through the winter. This year I planted a slightly hardier ARP rosemary. Maybe the plants that have a few years in the ground do better, so if you can help it some through the toughest times. Alternatively, grow it in a pot and move it to a more protected spot in winter.

  • gosssamer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great, thanks so much. The scallions grow like weeds, so it would be no big loss if they didn't make it, but I have a pretty substantial rosemary plant that's been growing inside since last March, then transplanted to outside in May. And even though it has a much more limited use than, say, basil, it would be nice to keep it.

    So would putting an upside-down bucket on top of it be enough for it to have a better chance of weathering the winter?

  • gosssamer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh, I also have a pretty substantial sage plant (bush?) growing that I'd like to save. Sage is also a perennial, correct? Would it give it a better chance to place an upside-down bucket over it for it to weather the winter?

  • chervil2
    9 years ago

    Many sage varieties are very hardy. I have no problems with overwintering sage in Massachusetts. I harvest the leaves throughout the winter for adding to poultry stuffing. I even dig through the snow to find the leaves. I advise against covering your sage and rosemary since they need sun during the winter, too. Rosemary suffocates when covered with snow, too. Air circulation is important for both of these herbs. I have tried to overwinter rosemary in my zone 5 location with no success. You may be able to do this in your area as long as the temperatures are not extremely cold and the snow is not very deep.

  • gosssamer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great, thanks so much. Makes great sense.

  • balloonflower
    9 years ago

    Unless it's pineapple, your sage should do just fine. But, it may look nearly dead--dropping lots of its leaves for the winter. It's a good time to harvest for drying--they'll grow back next year. In the spring, it may act dead--sometimes they don't sprout new growth right away, but just give it time. Here, we lose more sage to goofy spring weather than winter, which seems odd. But, once it starts waking from dormancy, if it freezes again, it can knock it out. I use straw and/or blanket coverings for that.

    I have managed to overwinter an ARP rosemary in Denver, zone 5b. But, it's not something I will try again--it took so long to bounce back and didn't have any substantial growth the second summer. If you don't know the variety of yours, it's generally a Tuscan Blue which is only to zone 7-8. If you bring in for the winter, a search for back posts of caring for potted rosemary--it's a pretty picky pot plant, but can be done. (I couldn't tell if it had been potted for a year, or only 2months). Watch the watering & drainage.

  • fatamorgana2121
    9 years ago

    I'm in Western NY State and very similar to you in hardiness. Technically my zone is 6a after the rezoning a few years ago - was 5 before that. I've struck out on overwintering even the hardiest of rosemaries here too many times that I refuse to try any more. But they survive with no difficulties in the zone or two warmer from me. I do not think you'll fare well on overwintering the rosemary outdoors but you can always try.

    Garden sage and alliums of all sorts make it through the winter with no problems. No mulching or covering there. Drainage is key for winter survival of Mediterranean herbs like thyme and sage. Allium are troopers and need zero special care. If they are hardy for the zone, they survive.

    Be sure to check through back posts. Some questions like this have been asked many times and there is a wealth of information here.

    FataMorgana

  • pinusresinosa
    9 years ago

    I live in zone 4, and I have some herbs that survive the winter. Some are tough in general, some I have planted in microclimate areas where they get protection and survive. Along with the other suggestions here, I have a creeping rosemary that's rated for zone 7 and higher that survives in a protected sunny warm spot with mulching every fall. It's come back the last few years.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Creeping Rosemary

  • gosssamer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I really have no idea of the type of rosemary or whether it's appropriate for my zone. It took quite a bit to get it to grow when it was in my flourescent grow tent indoors, so I'd rather not go through that whole germination process again.

    However, by the time I realize the rosemary didn't survive the winter, it'll be months before I can grow another one of any reasonable size.

    Is it too late to transplant part of the plant outdoors to grow inside? In other words, will I damage the plant if I start digging a piece out to move indoors?

  • chervil2
    9 years ago

    I repotted all my rosemary this month for bringing inside for the winter. I also potted up rooted branches from laying stones on the plant during the outdoor growing season. These pots will be placed in a cool sunny area of my house. I will bring them outside on warm winter days for fresh sunshine and leaf washing with the hose.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    9 years ago

    The upside-down bucket is not the best idea. A heavy mulch AFTER the ground freezes is ideal. Oak leaves, straw, pine needles all make a good winter mulch. Also, if there is snow this winter, do not remove it. Snow is also an excellent much for over-wintering.

    Linda

  • gosssamer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great advice, thanks so much. I'll probably try and transplant some of it indoors and try and support the rest outside through the winter.

  • tomtuxman
    9 years ago

    I'm in 6b in the mid-Hudson Valley, so not too different from NoNJ.
    As to rosemary -- don't know what variety, was started from supermarket cuttings in water -- I have never kept it outdoors over winter. I have them in pots in a very sunny location. Come fall (like TODAY!) I repot them in clean mix after washing off the roots and take them indoors, sunny window. Mist them once in a while, too, besides water when needed. They like that.
    As to sage, I have a six year old plant originally grown from seed (don't recall what variety either) and they have survived in the ground with no special covering even given last winter's amazing snow depth. Come Spring, I prune any bad stuff off fairly aggressively and they always spring back. That mother plant is almost a shrub at this point.

  • emily78
    9 years ago

    So it sounds like chives/green onions are fine through a cold winter. Anyone have an opinion about parsley or French tarragon?

  • fatamorgana2121
    9 years ago

    Parsley is hardy but a biennial. It blooms the second year and then dies. If you let it do that and drop seed, you can have a nice parsley patch.

    FataMorgana

  • CA Kate z9
    9 years ago

    The only place I've ever had Tarragon survive is here in CA, and that's with it's pot in a very protected area outside. It's going on winter 3 and we'll see how it does this year.

  • tandrew31
    9 years ago

    Anyone had experience with French Tarragon roots outdoors in ground in cold north or mid west?

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    I have no experience of either French Tarragon or your climate but Googling says it's hardy to z4.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tarragon hardiness

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    9 years ago

    I've had French tarragon survive through winter in southwest Ohio on the border of zone 5b and 6a. It even made it through record breaking cold spells of -10 to -20 F degrees. It was under a foot of snow in a sheltered area near the north side of my house during the coldest weather. Oregano, chives and hard neck garlic survived in the same area, but soft neck garlic and rosemary were killed off.

  • beesneeds
    9 years ago

    My sage, tarragon, winter savory, thyme, and mints do right fine. Even last years parsley bed came back again. So did the cilantro, though I think it was from self-sowing rather than the parent plants coming back. My rosemary, not so much- I keep it in a pot now and bring it inside. Basil is a no-way, that died off early on in the frosts. My potted parsley is now in the chilly solarium and doing ok. Dill dies off, but I still have a bucket of it hanging on in the solarium too. Rue has done really well outdoors, and I've had lovage and salad burnet survive year to year in the past.