Growing herbs is such a rewarding pastime. We can produce plants for culinary delight, for health and wellness, for crafting and for ornament. And, for many of us, growing herbs completes the gardening picture. Herbs mix well with other plants, be they in a vegetable garden, in a perennial border or with annual bedding plants. So, why not add more herbs to your container?

Photo courtesy of Wordless Wednesday - Container Herb Garden By Amy Jeanroy, About.com Guide May 19, 2010

Container growing is attracting a lot of attention lately due to various factors. Many people live in areas where they have no space to plant a garden in the ground. Or, the soil is so unfriendly, it's a very big job to dig and amend the heavy or rocky soil. Some like the adaptability of container gardens- the "gardens" can be moved about to create different effects or to give the plants the light/shade they need during different seasons. Or- when the surrounding area of invasive, weedy grasses and brambles just becomes too much to deal with each year, containers offer a much more satisfying -and less labor intensive- way to garden. Which brings me to my own situation.

For years, I've struggled against the Coastal Bermuda Grass that surrounds our farm house. Coastal is a very tough, drought tolerant grass much beloved by the cattle farmers in our area. Good for them. Bad for the rest of us. Unless you lay cement or asphalt, there is nothing that will deter the Coastal Bermuda from invading any area.

I have a small herb bed in the ground that I am able to keep up with, but I'd like to plant out and enjoy more of the plants that I grow and sell. I like to have mature plants available as examples for customers who come out to The Herb Cottage. Instead of digging more beds that take a lot of time to maintain, I've started growing more herbs- and vegetables- in containers- and doing more research about container gardening.

THE SOIL

As with plants in garden beds, it's the soil in a container that is the basis of plant health. Containers need a mix that drains well, yet will hold nutrients and not dry out too quickly. There are numerous "potting mixes" on the market, and they're OK for small pots and house plants, but if you're trying to grow a garden in a container, you need something more.

For plants to remain healthy they need organic matter that most potting mixes are lacking. You can use well aged compost, worm castings or one of the soil mixes containing composted bark mix. I would make the organic matter 1/4 to 1/3 of the volume of the mix. Here are a couple of soil "recipes" you can choose from or use as a guide:

Organic Blends

Blend #1

5 parts finished compost- or a mix of compost and peat moss or coir

1 part builder's sand

1 part vermiculite or perlite

1 cup granular, all-purpose organic fertilizer for EACH 2-1/2 GALLONS OF MIX

Blend #2

For a richer mix

1 part peat moss or coir

1 part perlite

1 part compost or worm castings

1 part garden soil

for EACH 2-1/2 GALLONS OF MIX add

1/4 cup dolomitic limestone

1/4 cup soybean meal

1/4 cup greensand

1/4 cup rock phosphate

1/4 cup kelp powder

Blends such as the ones above will give your plants a good base with slow acting nutrients throughout the growing season. More on fertilizer below.

Most container soils will need replenishing each time to replant the container. If you're growing seasonal annuals, that means after you remove the spent plants and before you plant for the next season, add more of your soil mix and blend it with what's in the container.

If you're growing perennial herbs like rosemary or oregano in an area where they remain evergreen and growing all year, you'll replenish the soil from time to time as it settles and loses structure. This is normal in a container.

A top dressing of mulch will aid in moisture retention and keep the soil from splashing onto the leaves when watering.

Here's a nice little garden planted up.

FERTILIZING, SOIL NUTRIENTS & MOISTURE

After you have your container planted with good soil including nutrients for slow release fertilizing, you still have to feed your containers on a regular basis. The slow release nutrients mixed into the soil will not be readily available to your plants, so a water soluble fertilizer should be used at least twice a month. If you choose to use a water soluble fertilizer weekly, mix it half strength.

Whether or not you use an organic or a synthetic type fertilizer is up to you. I like the organic fertilizers made from sea weed, fish emulsion, molasses and compost tea. These continue to add nutrients to the soil, but are still readily available to the plant.

The leaves of all plants take up nutrients, too, so the organic types of water soluble fertilizers can be used as a foliar spray as well as a soil drench. Leaves, stems and other above ground parts of the plant all take in nutrients. Those nutrients are delivered to the plant quicker than nutrients taken up by the roots. So, when watering with a water soluble fertilizer, don't forget to give the whole plant a good spray.

If you're using a drip irrigation system, use a foliar spray at least once or twice a month to keep plants healthy.

CHOOSING A CONTAINER

This is a nice selection of pots of single herbs grouped together.

There are myriad containers on the market, of course, so you have lots of choices. Larger containers planted full of herbs look good and are compact and can fit many situations. The advantage to larger containers is they may not need watering as often as smaller ones. The disadvantage is they are heavy and difficult to move once planted. You can always place a large container on a plant dolly prior to planting which does make it easier to move the container when necessary.

Smaller containers with single specimen plants can easily be moved for effect and different arrangements. The choice is up to you. I like both for the reasons I've mentioned. Smaller containers will need watering more frequently, however, and will not tolerate very hot, sunny conditions such as we are treated to here in Texas during the long summer months. Morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled light all day is a must for small containers here.

Plastic - a composit - terra cotta----??

Terra cotta dries out faster, but allows the roots to breathe somewhat. Plastic or a composit material holds more moisture and can be found in many designs and colors. Again... the choice is yours.

Here is a guideline for choosing a container by pot depth. These are the minimum soil depths for healthy growth:

4-5 inches: basil, cilantro/coriander, chives, lettuce, radishes, other salad greens

6-7 inches: mint, thyme, bush beans, garlic, kohlrabi, onions, Asian greens, peas

8-9 inches: parsley, rosemary, pole beans, carrots, chard, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, leeks, peppers, spinach

10-12 inches: dill, lemongrass, beets, broccoli, okra, potatoes, sweet corn, summer squash

Take into account if you live in a hot climate where herbs like basil can grow quite large and rosemary is an evergreen perennial. Giving your plant a larger pot will help it grow larger.

THE FUN PART- CHOOSING PLANTS & PLANTING

All right!! You've got your soil mix and your containers and you've decided where the containers will be situated. Now comes the fun part- choosing the plants. There are no hard and fast rules, as far as I'm concerned, as to what herbs to plant together. There are, however, a few issues to be noted.

The shape and size of the container will certainly determine how many plants can fit in one space. You might want to put spikey chives with a softer mounding plant like parsley. Or, plant a prostrate rosemary near the edge of a large container and let it trail over the lip with a lavender behind it. Thyme does well around taller plants. Keep in mind whether you're planting annuals or perennials for your area. Here, rosemary and oregano get quite large and usually end up after a season or two needing their own pots, but can be combined with other herbs until then.


This is a barrel I have had Garlic Chives in for a long time. Last year I had a lot of basil with it, which, of course, froze during the winter. The other day I added more soil mix and plunked in a couple small Chamomile, a Spanish Lavender and a mint- which is already starting to spread. It could use more plants. It's too sparse and will take time to fill in. So, for it to look nice and full from the start, more plants are needed.

Some people recommend always planting herbs with similar water needs together. And, that is a good idea so herbs that need to dry out some in between watering are not overwatered. If you plant one moisture loving plant among more drought tolerant herbs, however, that one plant will take up extra water and keep the others from being overwatered.

When choosing plants for the containers, of course, choose healthy plants of pretty good size, so you're not waiting forever for the planting to fill in. Take into account the mature size a plant will grow and space plants accordingly. A full container looks better than a sparsely filled one- so use annuals- even flowers- to fill in until the herbs gain size.

Water and fertilize your containers when they need it and you will be rewarded with fresh herbs all summer or all year, depending on your location. At season's end, it's easy to pull up spent herbs and replant the container for fall or even winter in mild areas. No digging out weeds- just find new plants, add a little more of your soil mix and voila!- a new garden appears in an afternoon.

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. -Herman Melville, novelist and poet (1819-1891)