Growing Your Herbs from Seeds
March 5th, 2010When I was child, I can remember sitting with my grandmother, looking at the seed catalog, looking for the best tomatoes, cucumbers and corn. It seemed like her whole garden came from that catalog. Those times are long gone now. I don’t have the time to wait the month or more for results. Do you?
Some herbs are better than others for starting from seeds. One plant that can quickly grow and rapidly mature is dill. Germination for the dill herb is simple. On the other hand, you’ll already be in herb gardener retirement when your thyme plant finally matures. You can raise most annuals from seeds and some perennials too. If you’ve got a lot of perennials, you’ll save money in the long run because there will not be a replacement cost for the plants.
Start perennial seeds in pots rather than in a seed tray or in your herb garden bed. The pot will give the plant lots of room to thrive and protect it from invasive weeds while they slowly grow. It only takes about 3 to four weeks for most perennials to germinate.
Depending on the climate where you live, you may be able to plant both your annual herbs and perennial herbs at the same time, any time of the year. If you’re planning to begin your annual herbs outside, you can plant them in the spring, summer or fall.
Here are some of the best herbs to raise from seeds:
- Anise: Also known as the hyssop, the anise herb has a lovely licorice smell and has almost iridescent purple, green and blue notched leaves and spiked flowers of blue and purple. Most people use anise as a flavoring in many meals and in teas. You can also add it to your potpourri. It’s best to begin your perennial anise early, up to eight weeks before you intend to move it outdoors
- Caraway: Do not let its strange appearance fool you. This plant, with its nut-like licorice taste is serious business. Use it in your German foods, including soups, stews and krauts. The most frequently used part of the caraway is the seed, but the root is also edible. You can start your biennials indoors as early as 6 weeks before the last frost, especially if you want to shorten the time you have to wait before you see the first bloom.
- Coneflower: Add coneflower to your herb garden if you’re looking for a perennial that is a cinch to care for. Most people think of it as a wildflower, but because of its healing qualities, it fits squarely in the herb camp. The medicinal name for the coneflower is Echinacea, which can hold your allergies in check and keep your immune system strong.
If you’re in a cold-weather climate like I am, you’ll want to start your perennial seeds in containers inside so that by the time they have sprouted and gotten hardy, (about 6 weeks), it’ll be time to take them outside.
If you are in a warm-weather location, you can start your perennials at anytime.
When you plant your annual seeds, just sow them straight to your herb garden, or container if you are going to start there. If you select your herbs wisely, you can get all self-sowers, which can come back next season from the seeds they “sow” this season.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Herb Garden Kits. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.