Window-box herb growing

[emilycat]

Before anyone barks at me, http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif I did search all the old herb threads, but still didn't really find out what I wanted to know....but since so many of you grow your own herbs, I decided to come straight to the master source of information.

I'm planning to start growing some herbs -- basil, thyme, sage, rosemary, and maybe cilantro and parsley, I think -- in window boxes on my porch. Just to give you an idea of my climatic situation, I'm in Georgia, and the weather down here is already warming up substantially. My porch gets the morning sun, which is good for violets, but I'm not so sure about herbs. Also, I'm not dreadfully adept at growing things -- I can keep my philadendron going strong, and my African violets are hit or miss, but I killed my last ficus. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

So anyway, I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it best to buy the plant, and then repot it in my window boxes?

2) Can I grow all of the herbs I listed in window boxes, or do some of those only do well in "permanent" soil, so to speak?

3) Can I grow more than one herb in a window box?

Okay, I realize I could ask some people at a nursery these things, but I really trust you guys sooo much more. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Thanks!

Emily

[AGC]

Emily, this does not have anything to do with your topic but I know you are pretty savvy with how this board works. The strangest thing just happened! I submitted a reply on the breakfast thread and rec'd the immed. msg. that it had successfully gone thru. Then I looked for it on the board and Wham! the whole thread is nowhere to be found! What's up with that?

[emilycat]

You know, to be honest, I have no clue at all...but that's really, really odd. Why don't you post a note to the Tech Support board?
Did you notice, too, that the recorded times of posted messages has slipped back an hour? This could be intentional, since Birmingham is on central time, but it seemed strange to me at first.

[pammy]

Emily,

I think that as long as herbs get some good, direct sunlight at some point during the day, they should be fine. I have been growing all (well, I think I did sage one year, it was not a repeater for me) of the herbs you mentioned for a few years, in various locations. In a garden, in a terra cotta pot on my patio, and in window boxes. The soil in a window box will be fine for them. I suggest you get some Miracle Grow potting soil, it will help make the plants hearty. And you can grow more than one type in the box, just be sure to label so that you are sure of what is what (especially with the parsley and cilantro, they are so similar). I suggest starting the basil, cilantro and parsley from seed. They sprout pretty quickly and you may want to replant periodically. Make sure that you pinch the flowers from the basil and cilantro or else they will get leggy and go to seed (unless you want to dry coriander seeds from the cilantro). I have found that rosemary, sage and thyme are best to start from plants I have bought at nurseries. Thyme and tarragon (very nice to have in an herb garden, love that licorice smell!) are perennials, so just leave them in the box over the winter, trim back the dead twigs and they will come back in spring. Hope that answers your questions and good luck!

[pammy]

Hey, I just noticed that responding to your question made me a member! Thanks Emily.

[Anne]

Hi Emily. Good luck with your herb window boxes. I would suggest that if you buy plants make sure that they are young plants and are not root-bound. This is critial for plants like cilantro that tend to bolt and get leggy. Sage, rosemary, and thyme have all been real troopers from me from my own seed or small starter plants, however, some types of thyme (like lemon thyme) can't be grown from seeds. I can't seem to grow decent basil no matter what I try. A lot of herbs grow well from root cuttings. Do you have a friend or neighbor who has established plants that you could get a bit of root or a couple lateral sprouts (where the root goes off sidewise with little plants starting up all along it). I have been able to grow several herbs at a time in hanging baskets - sage, lemon thyme, and rosemary seemed to like each other well enough.

[LSB]

Emily - I have grown herbs in boxes/pots on the patio for a few years. They usually do pretty well. If you decide to do mint though - don't put that in with anything else. It will take over! Also - I have never had any luck with cilantro. I live in the WDC area so we have the same hot sticky summers as Atlanta - although maybe a little cooler. It seems like I've tried everything and it just dies. Hope you have better luck!
Louise