Posted: 3/30/2007 9:30:48 AM EDT
|
I got that little itch to grow my own spices and herbs, so I got one of those cheapo home greenhouse kits that has 6 little pots you put a few seeds in each. The ones I have planted now are sweet basil, chives, and curled parsely. So I followed the directions and planted the seeds after soaking the sod pellets, put it in the greenhouse, and it now sits out back waiting to sprout. It says to water them carefully, but it doesn't say how often or if I should do it in the morning (sunrise) or the evening (sunset). I got a spray bottle to more mist than water, but does it matter how often and at what time of the day? It says to let them get 2 or 3 leafs and then transplant to larger pots - this sound right? Once they sprout, does the watering cycle change? Will it hurt to leave them in direct sunlight, or should I be rotating them into the sunlight during evening and morning hours, and shading them in the middle of the afternoon? |
|
I have no idea about care, but my step mom maintains a small garden, and she prefers to buy her plants already growing from home depot etc. ETA: she leaves hers outside in full sun and does not move them, she also has them on a drip irrigation system that runs in the morning (I think). But these plants are established. |
Richard: You're trying too hard buddy. Chives, parsley and basil will grow in just about anything you put them in. The trick is to NOT over-water them. I water mine once every 2 days or so. If, before watering, the soil is damp, you're watering too much and will likely kill the roots. You don't want to overcrowd them too much, but small bunches/clusters of each type are good to go. Personally, I have grown all three of the aforementioned herbs in coffee cans in a windowseal. If you're so inclined, you can also grow garlic very well in a coffee can placed on a sunlit windowsil. Hope that helped 
|
I got some from Kmart, but they died. So I got some from Wal Mart, but they died. The common denominating factor? Beth was taking care of them  So for these I decided to ask and do it without her.  This is one of those cutsie little sets with the wee tiny pots and plastic, snap together greenhouse. Like $6 at Wallyworld or so. If I kill 'em no big deal, but I'd like to learn and eventually make a big planter for the back yard and get into gardening. Haven't tried growing any of th WKRP Herbs yet, though. Of course, then my mom would attack it, the horny old broad 
|
Seeds should be planted about 5x at deep as their diameter. If you plant them too deep they will take longer to sprout. Parsley can take more than 2 weeks to sprout.
You want to keep the seeds from drying out. So, water when the top of the soil looks dry. If you want, put a sprinkle of vermiculite on top, that will hold more water. You can also put them in a tray and keep 1" of water in the tray until sprouted. Another option keep them in the house until they sprout, then move them outside. Put them outside for 4 hours the first day, 6, 8, 10, etc until they acclimate.
All day direct sun can be damaging to new sprouts. They can get sunburn. Put them under a tree so they get partial shade. |
|
Google! There are tons of fantastic gardening websites out there. I, too, grow an herb garden. I love to cook and it has helped IMMENSELY with getting the kids to eat new, healthier foods. We all walk out to pick out what we want to flavor our meals with and they help cut and collect herbs. I buy already potted herbs from the local market. I have grown plants from seeds in the past and I find it difficult to keep them from getting leggy as well as hardening them off when they are ready to be transplanted outside. As for watering, do NOT overwater. It will kill your seedlings. Water every couple/few days when the soil is dry on the top. If you notice your plants losing turgor pressure (wilting) you have waited too long. It's often best to let them soak water up from the bottom.... if the pots have holes in them, set them in a tray and pour water into the base. The plants will wick water up. If they are indoors it doesn't matter as much when you water them. When they are outside you want to water in the morning so that the sun will dry off the foliage during the day. Discourages mildew and rot problems. Leave the in direct sunlight unless you have one of those plastic covers on it right now.... then it will cook the seedlings. Go for indirect light. Let me know if you have any other questions. |
Do I just chuck a garlic clove into some potting soil and water? It'll grow into an actual garlic bulb and make lots of little cloves? I love fresh garlic! I have a few plastic Folgers cans - will those work as well as metal ones? Anything else I can grow myself? I appreciate it much! |
|
Richard: I"ve used both, plastic works best IMO as it won't rust out on you I simply stuck one clove per can down to the middle knuckle of my index finger (2"ish) Poke a few drainage holes in the bottom. If you're crafty, you can set the coffee can atop the plastic lid which will allow the excess water to drip through to the lid and evaporate off. Water sparingly. In a week you'll see signs of life. |
Oh God yes! I love dill on just about everything, but especially (Geneoa) salami sammiches with Pepperjack cheese and Jack Daniels mustard on seeded rye bread. I could eat that darn near every meal. We do an enormous amount of canning, too, which dill is also necessary for. Once I get a little more confident, I plan on making my own mustard from fresh mustard plants, my own pickling spices, and hopefully have a full herb garden complete with thyme, oregano, garlic, cilantro, and every manner of habeniero and bell pepper available I can possibly avoid killing. I am a huge fan of homemade stuff. We go out to the desert and pick 8 to 10 5-gallon buckets of the prickly pear fruit (I forget the name) and turn it into all kinds of jams, jellies, and syrups; mesquite leaves for tea; we can our own pickles and salsa; make own refried beans, and etc. It costs a lot more doing it this way, but the taste is just beyond comparison and once you go fresh you never go back. I've been wanting to do this forever, but never could at my old house. Here I have the opportunity and I plan to exploit it and learn as I go. |
How wet should I make the soil initially? Should it be wet enough that the water drips from the holes, or is that too wet? I have a hygrometer - should it read moist? Will one clove make an entire bulb? How long does it take before I should transplant it to a bigger container? Or one coffee can per clove? How long until I can actually dig it up and use it for cooking? Thanks alot! |
| Most overwater. Put a piece of plastic on top of your container until the seeds sprout. After that, just lift up the pot. If it feels heavy, don't water. You can also buy things to put in the pot to let you know when it it time to water. These things are weeds man. |
|
My opinion - growing from seed is difficult and each plant has different requirements. Patience and the right amount of water for each herb is key. Most herbs like sandy/well-drained soil, so read more about what each plant likes. Be sure not to over-water, and be patient. Pick a specific time each day to water and do it then. Don't over water. Wait and you'll see sprouts! When you transplant, it's less shock on the plant if you water the soil of the new pot THEN put the plant in and cover the roots. Again, with herbs you might need a well-drained soil/sand mix. I think most herbs like full sun, but again, not sure. Here's a link that might help. |
|
Richard Google will be your friend on this subject. I have grown herbs from seed but I usually buy plants now as it saves time. Last year I had dill, rosemary. thyme, marjoram, lemon thyme, bee balm, cilantro, chives, and several others that I can't remember right now. I use them fresh and I dry them in my dehydrator. Just remember that some sites will tell you that herbs can grow in crappy soil, they are wrong the like good soil without too much water. Your little wally world kit is good for starting some seeds but when the local garden places start selling plants go buy a few and play. Oh BTW the chives I have came from one of those grow your own kits we got for Christmas four years ago. I have chives growing in several places and can even cut some in the middle of winter, hmmmmmm fresh chives on a baked 'tater in winter. |
My plants are doing just fine. Yours are dead. As for the care, are these suggestions not what I mentioned to you? I guess if it comes off the internet it is better than me telling you when you asked me... 
|
Pssst: Notice the " " in my post? And the ""Those generally indicate funny sarcasm and a woops! |
Please notice the  in this post.It means what you think... 
|
Sweet basil and chives I have grown. They grow like weeds. I think I would just seed them directly in the ground. We trim the chives like grass, and they come right back up. Warm is good for sprouting seeds, but too warm is bad. A sealed greenhouse could, on warmer days, get too hot and kills the seeds. I would prop it open during the day so some air can circulate. Parsley I have not grown. But c'mon, what kind of a real man grows parsley anyways? Garnish your meals with a 1911 magazine or a big knife. |