After you choose to develop your own herb garden, the next step is choosing the assortment of herbs you want. There are so many different herbs and many of these herb plants have many kinds—for example, there are hundreds of types of thyme to choose from.
The life cycles or growing periods vary with different herb plants. In order to make good decisions, it is important to know the growing period of your herb plants. Before you purchase your herbs, you’ll want to be aware of their growing season, or life cycle. There are 3 main kinds:
- Annuals: This kind of flower starts with a seed. During one life cycle they will grow, flower and die. Some nice annual herb plants are dill, cilantro, mustard, chervil, basil and borage.
- Biennials: Biennial flowers grow for two years and usually bear a “fruit” in the second year (like caraway). Herbs (like parsley) produce foliage in both years, but go to seed early in the second growing season. Some biennials you should use are angelica, Queen Anne’s lace and chicory.
- Perennials: Plants that tend to survive for more than 2 growing seasons are called perennials. The climate where these herbs grow determines how many years they will come back, or if they will come back at all. Of the many perennials available, some you may like are lemon verbena, rosemary, scented geranium, mints, thyme, yarrow and lady’s mantle.
I like growing herb plants with different growing seasons, but perennials are doubly rewarding because I don’t have to buy them again and replant them every year. Be careful of how much cold weather your perennials are exposed to because too much can harm them. Bringing your perennials in during winter is a nice way to lengthen their growing cycle.
There are several other things you can do to lengthen the life of your herb plants:
- A few perennials can need for you to trim them back, dig up the bulb, roots or rhizome, and keep in your garage, basement or cellar over the winter.
- Using containers is a fantastic method for those herbs that you need to over-winter inside your house or garage. A few folks even put their containers in the ground, covering them up to the rim. They simply take out the whole pot at the end of the season and store them during the colder time of year.
- Grow your biennials in middle of the summer so that you can get lots of flowers in the second season.
- Some herbs are self-sowers, which means that they can sow their own seeds for the next growing season. Mustard, borage and catnip are just a few of the herbs that are self-sowers.
- Cut off faded flowers to lengthen the growing cycle of short-lived annuals. Depending on your area’s climate; your annuals may self-seed if you cut the plant back near the end of the summer.
- If you have some unexpected cold weather don’t forget to cover your plants with a blanket, towel or sheet which will prevent the frost from killing your herb. Herbs that are in containers can be moved under a covered porch for protection.
My wish for you is that these pointers can come in handy when you start your own herb garden planning. Getting it just as you imagine it can be a struggle. Even I make flubs after all these years, but just keep in mind that you can take out what doesn’t work and try try again!
Here is more information on Herb Garden Information. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
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