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By Bobbie Whitehead
For gardeners or growers interested in planting other fall or winter crops, herbs can serve as a nice addition to meals as well as to existing fruit and vegetable market lineups.
A few growers specialize in herbs alone and cultivate them for sale at farmers markets as well as for home use. Whatever the gardener or grower’s interest, some herbs can grow in the fall and winter garden with modest protection from wind and cold temperatures. Herbs can also grow in containers either outside or inside.
For gardeners or growers interested in planting other fall or winter crops, herbs can serve as a nice addition to meals as well as to existing fruit and vegetable market lineups.
A few growers specialize in herbs alone and cultivate them for sale at farmers markets as well as for home use. Whatever the gardener or grower’s interest, some herbs can grow in the fall and winter garden with modest protection from wind and cold temperatures. Herbs can also grow in containers either outside or inside.
Add an indoor or outdoor herb garden to the fall crop list
The perennial herb oregano can grow indoors during the winter and be placed outdoors during the warmer months.
The West Virginia University Extension Service writes that year-round cultivation of herbs can be done indoors, and some of the culinary herbs it suggests growing indoors include thyme, sage, basil or chives.
For growers just beginning, perennials survive the winter and continue to grow each season; whereas, annuals live one season, and biennials live two seasons but bloom in the second season, the Extension Service writes.
Gardeners can grow herbs from seeds and/or plants and can find seeds and plants through a number of Internet seed sites or from a few garden centers in the fall and winter months.
“Herbs, such as mints, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon, should be purchased as plants and transplanted or propagated by cuttings to ensure production of the desired plant,” according to Erv Evans, Extension Associate and Jeanine Davis, Extension Specialist with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of North Carolina State University.
Davis and Evans also write that “herbs, such as borage, anise, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, and fennel, should be direct-seeded.”
When planting, growers need to make sure the herbs are planted in well-drained soil since they don’t grow well in soggy soils. Depending on the herb, growers can space the herbs six to 12 inches apart in the garden – check the seed packet or plant instructions for exact spacing requirements. Mix organic matter in the soil to fertilize the herbs.
For indoor herb production in containers, finding a room or porch on the south side of the home that offers plenty of sunlight will enable the herbs to grow and thrive. The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests using 6-inch pots for herbs that grow up to 12 inches in height.
Growers will also need water the indoor herb garden frequently. Perennials that grow well indoors include chives, oregano and peppermint. Sweet marjoram, an annual, also grows well indoors.
“Basil, Spicy Globe, dwarf sage, winter savory, parsley, chives, and varieties of oregano and thyme are some of the best for windowsill culture,” write Diane Relf, extension specialist and S. B. Sterrett, associate professor, both of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension. “When given proper care in a sunny window, they will supply sprigs for culinary use through all seasons.”
For outdoor herb gardens in the fall and winter, growers can protect them with mulch, according to the W. Va. University Extension Service. Others suggest planting them where they’ll be protected from strong winds.
Though chives can thrive indoors, cold temperatures and frost are OK for chives grown outdoors. The flavor of sage, too, may be improved after a couple of frosts, Relf and Sterrett write.
For growers just beginning, perennials survive the winter and continue to grow each season; whereas, annuals live one season, and biennials live two seasons but bloom in the second season, the Extension Service writes.
Gardeners can grow herbs from seeds and/or plants and can find seeds and plants through a number of Internet seed sites or from a few garden centers in the fall and winter months.
“Herbs, such as mints, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon, should be purchased as plants and transplanted or propagated by cuttings to ensure production of the desired plant,” according to Erv Evans, Extension Associate and Jeanine Davis, Extension Specialist with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of North Carolina State University.
Davis and Evans also write that “herbs, such as borage, anise, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, and fennel, should be direct-seeded.”
When planting, growers need to make sure the herbs are planted in well-drained soil since they don’t grow well in soggy soils. Depending on the herb, growers can space the herbs six to 12 inches apart in the garden – check the seed packet or plant instructions for exact spacing requirements. Mix organic matter in the soil to fertilize the herbs.
For indoor herb production in containers, finding a room or porch on the south side of the home that offers plenty of sunlight will enable the herbs to grow and thrive. The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests using 6-inch pots for herbs that grow up to 12 inches in height.
Growers will also need water the indoor herb garden frequently. Perennials that grow well indoors include chives, oregano and peppermint. Sweet marjoram, an annual, also grows well indoors.
“Basil, Spicy Globe, dwarf sage, winter savory, parsley, chives, and varieties of oregano and thyme are some of the best for windowsill culture,” write Diane Relf, extension specialist and S. B. Sterrett, associate professor, both of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension. “When given proper care in a sunny window, they will supply sprigs for culinary use through all seasons.”
For outdoor herb gardens in the fall and winter, growers can protect them with mulch, according to the W. Va. University Extension Service. Others suggest planting them where they’ll be protected from strong winds.
Though chives can thrive indoors, cold temperatures and frost are OK for chives grown outdoors. The flavor of sage, too, may be improved after a couple of frosts, Relf and Sterrett write.
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