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It’s so simple to grow fresh-as-you-can-get herbs in the smallest of pots, making them perfect to plant in small places, like balconies. So, if you’ve been wanting to start a herb garden, now is the season to get your very own garnish grocery going!
We asked urban permaculture gardener and author Connie Cao to share her top 8 tips to turn your small space into a herb garden heaven!
What You’ll Need:
- An assortment of pots in a variety of sizes
- Your favourite summer herb seedlings (see tips below for the best to suit your balcony and small backyard!)
- Premium potting mix
- Garden trowel
- Gloves
- Your Merry People boots! For me, it’s all about the super-comfy, waterproof, green-thumb certified Khaki Green
Connie’s Top Tip: “Herbs are easy to plant and don’t take much time to grow during the sunnier months. If you get the planting, orientation and pots right, all that is left to do is start levelling up your garden-to-table cooking. Spring is the best to transplant summer herbs - when there’s no more frosty mornings - and the weather is starting to warm up (but isn’t yet too warm!).”
Let’s Get Growing! Here’s my Summer Herb Cheat Sheet in 8 Simple Steps
1. Keep Certain Seeds Solo:
Some herbs - like common mint, peppermint, chocolate mint, pineapple mint, lemon balm and Vietnamese mint - don’t appreciate company! So to ensure they thrive, plant these herbs by themselves. Why? Because the roots of these herbs grow quickly beneath the soil and can easily take over other plants and the garden.
2. Plant These Plants In Pairs (Or Trios!)
On the flip side, some herbs grow strong side by side. These include Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage, which prefer a sunny location and tolerate drier soils once established. You can plant 2-3 of these in one bigger pot. Remember to plant more of what you use. For example, I love sweet basil, so I prefer to plant it in larger pots or garden beds to grow a bigger plant. I also love Sage, but don’t eat as much of it, so I plant my sage in a smaller pot to make space for more sweet basil!
3. Sunny Spots Are Essential for Some Seeds:
Some seeds won’t grow if they don’t get a steady dose of sunlight. This includes most Mediterranean herbs, including oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage, which are super hardy once established, so orientate them correctly for successful growth.
4. Some Plants Are Perfectly Happy In The Shade:
Did you know that even plants can get sunburnt? Yep! Sweet basil grows through the summer, but it is sensitive to the sun and too much exposure can be a bad thing. If you have a shadier spot, it’ll happily live there.
5. Mark Your Calendar and Prepare To Replant Annuals:
Some plants only live for one season, and die off when the frost sets in come Autumn. This includes sweet basil, so if you’re planting this herb, be prepared to replant next year!
6. Plant Perennials For Set-And-Forget Gardening
If you want to plant now and then just nurture, many herbs - including mint, thyme, rosemary and sage - can be planted now and simply cared for going forward. These herbs live for multiple years, so you only ever need to plant them once.
Don’t be disillusioned if your perennial herbs die down or look scraggly during certain parts of the year, as this can be expected. For example, oregano likes to have a little sulk in the cold weather, and mint tends to appear sad in the hot weather! However, they will bounce back and regrow once these periods are over.
7. Save Yourself Stress With A Self-Watering Pot:
Can’t be trusted to water your herbs daily? No stress! For the herbs that need it most - think mints and sweet basil - invest in a self-watering pot to ensure they grow really well.
8. Watering Not Your Strong Point? There’s A Plant For That:
Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage and oregano should be watered regularly until they get settled in and start growing. But, once they’ve set down their roots, they’re drought-tolerant and cope well in long, hot summers.
Tips for Plant Transplanting:
Now you know what you’re planting, and whether it needs its own pot, shade or sun, or even self-watering capabilities, here's how to transplant your herb plant:
- Fill the bottom half of your chosen pot with Premium Potting Mix.
- Gently lift your seedlings out of the nursery pot, and place them in the middle of the new pot.
- Backfill with potting mix, and gently water your plants in.
Keen to get your green thumb dirty? Get started with your very own gardening BFF, your Bobbi Boot, and discover 3 super simple veggies to grow pots, in our last post with Connie Cao.
