Some herbs die down in winter but there are still others that stay green and are useable.
I have parsley growing year round and where I live it does best in the cooler months.I let the plants go to seed in late summer andIn autumn I take the seeds off the old plants and scatter them over the pots and other places where the parsley was growing.
Now I have a crop of hundreds of seedlings.
Chervil is another herb that prefers cooler weather.
Common chives die down in the winter but will sprout again in spring. Don't throw away the pot you have them growing in, or lose the place in the garden. Even though it looks bare in winter, the chives will be back. Mine are starting to show green shoots already.
French Tarragon behaves in a similar way.I've found it safer to grow in a large pot as I've lost it when I've grown it in the garden. The soil in the pot will look bare but once the weather warms up the tarrogan will send up new shoots.
Oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme don't grow much in winter but can be used in moderation.
Bay leaves can be harvested year round also.
Basil can be kept alive through the winter, if it is in a pot kept in a warm place, like a sunny windowsill or glasshouse, but it won't grow much until the days are longer and warmer.
Basil seed can be sown soon. There's no point in sowing it too early as the plants would have to be kept in a warm place to survive . I find around the end of August is a good time for me to sow basil.By the time the seedlings are big enough to plant out I can put them in the garden with the bottom of a soft drink bottle used as a cloche over each plant. When they've outgrown their cloches the weather is warm enough for them to survive.
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Hi Katherine, just a thought but have you tried a pestil and mortar with a little oil and salt in it for abrasion. The rosemary would then turn out paste like and be able to be mixed easily in oils for drizzling over the roast. It certainly wouldn't be chunky at all and the oils in the rosemary would infuse more readily too as it is a paste.
Let me know how you get on. I do a lot of herbs this way for marinades and coatings as I find them easier to use and far easier to eat.
Francis
Hello Katherine, if it's just the rosemary flavour that you want,how about putting sprigs into a bottle of olive oil or whatever oil that you use for roasting. Make sure that the rosemary is completely dry otherwise it'll go mouldy. You could also try putting the leaves in an electric coffee grinder once they've been allowed to dry out.
Hi everyone
I am finding that the perennial herbs in the garden such as horse radish, loveage and the mints are just beginning to pop up. The german chamomile seedlings are well established now. I have been using last years dried herbs as teas for refreshment.
I have just harvested loads of rosemary. I've stripped the leaves and tried to grind them in the Kenwood liquidiser and the hand operated coffee mill, they seem to get cut in about three and that's about all. My next weapon of choice will be the hand operated mincer. I am looking for a more powder like substance to add to salt and other herbs. I find the big chunks of charcoaled rosemary on roasted food a bit off putting. Are there any other suggestions you have?
I tried to take some lemon verbena cuttings this spring but they have all died. Has anyone had any success with these?
Regards Katherine
That's great.I didn't have much luc with my overwintered Rosemary cuttings but the Spring ones are looking okay so far.
I got some seed off an old basil plant, that had been growing in a pot on my back steps. I sowed it on the 26th of August.I put it near a sunny window and about a third of the seeds have germinated, so I think I'll sow some more. I do love free seed.
Lynsey Ferrari said:
Thanks for the reminder to sow my Basil seeds Hester. I have a warm sunroom for sprouting. I have had great success with getting Rosemary and Marjoram twigs to make roots and settle in to pots outdoors this winter in Wellington in spite of neglect. Or maybe it's because of neglect. They just got on with the job of growing.
Thanks for the reminder to sow my Basil seeds Hester. I have a warm sunroom for sprouting. I have had great success with getting Rosemary and Marjoram twigs to make roots and settle in to pots outdoors this winter in Wellington in spite of neglect. Or maybe it's because of neglect. They just got on with the job of growing.
Rosemary can be difficult to grow from seed. It has a low germination rate and requires warmth. If you want to try again I'd suggest using fresh seed and sowing lots, to try and have a few. Soak the seed first.
From memory, I think I used to get seeds of a wild European type from Kings Seed, that were good, but they don't stock it any more.
I think your best bet is to find a nice plant at a friends or wherever you come across one and ask for some cutting pieces.( I recently scored some cuttings of a variety with super big flowers at the local Honey factory.)
Start again with fresh stock.
Then make sure you have it growing in the right spot.
Warm with, not too wet,free draining soil.
Hope this helps.
hiya Hester you just about covered it , I have all of those you mentioned growing in my garden, I love basil and have got a packet of gourmet assortment to try this year, I start them in an old van I use for a potting shed, its warm in there :) I have troiuble with my rosemary , its a cutting from a cutting from a cutting, so I am going to tart new plants this year, but had no luck germinating them last time I tried, any tips? I overwintered my first marjoram plants too this winter, it might be an aquired taste, I have found I nee to use sparingly. same with lovage, which is sending up new shoots now. I have a lovely spearmint I have managed to establish now, and lemon verbena has lost its leaves but its the greatest herb tea I know :)
Replies
Hester Robson said:
Linda said:
Let me know how you get on. I do a lot of herbs this way for marinades and coatings as I find them easier to use and far easier to eat.
Francis
I am finding that the perennial herbs in the garden such as horse radish, loveage and the mints are just beginning to pop up. The german chamomile seedlings are well established now. I have been using last years dried herbs as teas for refreshment.
I have just harvested loads of rosemary. I've stripped the leaves and tried to grind them in the Kenwood liquidiser and the hand operated coffee mill, they seem to get cut in about three and that's about all. My next weapon of choice will be the hand operated mincer. I am looking for a more powder like substance to add to salt and other herbs. I find the big chunks of charcoaled rosemary on roasted food a bit off putting. Are there any other suggestions you have?
I tried to take some lemon verbena cuttings this spring but they have all died. Has anyone had any success with these?
Regards Katherine
I got some seed off an old basil plant, that had been growing in a pot on my back steps. I sowed it on the 26th of August.I put it near a sunny window and about a third of the seeds have germinated, so I think I'll sow some more. I do love free seed.
Lynsey Ferrari said:
From memory, I think I used to get seeds of a wild European type from Kings Seed, that were good, but they don't stock it any more.
I think your best bet is to find a nice plant at a friends or wherever you come across one and ask for some cutting pieces.( I recently scored some cuttings of a variety with super big flowers at the local Honey factory.)
Start again with fresh stock.
Then make sure you have it growing in the right spot.
Warm with, not too wet,free draining soil.
Hope this helps.
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