Indoor herbs

Thanks for all your advice

Great idea...works every time!

I grow several herbs but have resorted to using dried coriander (Schwartz)

I have tried growing Coriander on a warm patio, but have never been successful. This year I will keep it inside my conservatory. Most herbs, including Coriander are Mediterranean and don’t cope well with British Summer rain or our winds.

Most Seeds need heat to germinate. You can purchase little heated propagators. I use the heated floor in the conservatory. It’s rarely used because, after getting a smart meter, I learned just how expensive they are to run (very), but placing seed trays with covers, on it gives really good germination rates. So I do use it for this. Amongst other things, I am growing the herbs basil and Coriander from seeds. Both germinated, taking about a week.

Coriander is "the" most used herb in our house, possibly because we eat curry and a lot of spicy food. I think it's an annual, we have only grown from seed, but have found that even that can be a problem. Every year, I have found it's a nightmare to grow. Some important factors were unknown to us. We always complained that it "bolts" and gets terribly limp and leggy all of a sudden. Until last year we had no idea that you need to buy bolt-free varieties which are grown for their leaves. The other varieties, that bolt, you buy to grow for their seed, because once you have perhaps taken some leaves to use, the plant then goes into overdrive and you end up with almost no leaves, just seeds which dry out and are very useful as dried herbs. The plants don't need loads of water, but need not to dry out and they really dislike the heat. This was a surprise, as well, and is a difficult rule to stick to here in summer. So we tend to buy fresh plants or buy a bunch when we need it. Other herbs though grow very well. Last winter I lost 2 of my 3 different types of thyme. The remaining lemon thyme is a lovely bushy shrub which I cut hard back before the winter and which again looks very good. Chives are growing well and have big flower buds. One of the plants was a tired old thing I picked up in the supermarket when I needed chives and it was the only pot left. That is now a healthy plant in a tub in the garden. My neighbour grows the rosemary - a huge bush which mostly hangs over our drive. Each year I prune it carefully (with her agreement) and can always help myself; she has my permission to walk up my drive and "harvest the herbs" as she puts it! I honestly couldn't not grow herbs, once you know their funny little ways Gordonbennett, it's lovely to always have them there to use when cooking.

I haven't had much luck with coriander either; is it an annual? It seems to grow leggy even if snipped.

Parsley is biennial so should come back next year, luckily mine has despite being left outside over the winter.

Some herbs have sent up green shoots, the tarragon, thyme (although that looks a bit sad at the moment) and the rosemary is flowering. However, the sage I grew from seed last year and planted in the groundd has died apart from one little sprig.

Just watched a video of someone taking cuttings from a smallish supermarket pot of basil. And then cuttings from the cuttings. Ended up 8 weeks later with about 12pots of Basil. Going to give this a try.

Gordonbennett; I just do not have "Green fingers" and nothing much will grow for me. The only one I have had any luck with has been mint. I have grown it myself and also I sometimes buy the little plant in the supermarket and plant it outside and it grows so well.
Last week I bought a hanging basket with all the kit to plant trailing sweet pea. I am going to plant it up next week although I hold little chance that anything will grow from it
I do try.

I also buy supermarket pots and normally pull the separate plants apart then transplant them, the chives do particularly well in the garden so I no longer need to buy any as they come up every year.

This year I have no compost so have left them in the pots inside slightly taller glass jars (IKEA vases) so that the herbs don't fall over. Apparently you're supposed to water from the bottom but not leave them sitting in water so, before they completely dry out, I water into the vase and then tip out the water after a few minutes soaking time.

There are so many little individual seedlings in the pots that they pretty quickly exhaust the food in the compost but most herbs like a fairly poor soil, except perhaps for the lusher basil plants, so I just add a very small dash of plant food to the watering can once a week. Personally I nip off any flower buds, but you might want to use flowers in your salads.

I've found that the "Greek" basil is the longest lasting, its a pretty little bush with smaller leaves than the normal version, the flavour isn't quite the same but I drop a sprig in my cooking and can't really tell the difference.

I've got a west facing windowsill so they get lots of light, but will have to move them back into the room later in the year when they start to get direct sun in the afternoon.

I never have much luck with coriander and would appreciate some tips on how to keep it going. It seems to grow on single stems and doesn't come back after you've snipped the leaves.

Give them more than a week but don't let them dry out.
I find they work better in greenhouse until they are established when I bring them inside or plant them in a large circular planter with sections like a wheel that DH made for me outside back door for herbs which is always pretty & so useful. Saves going down the garden in the rain for them.
Our cats love the cat mint which always looks tatty as they feast on it!

polnan what do you do with them then?

Thank you again for your knowledge. I will get some compost and start over.

What compost is the best? I’ve seen peat free? What’s the difference?

Sorry, keep asking questions

love this thread...

I love growing herbs,,never use them, just love growing them

I think it's impossible to kill mint You could cut back 1/3rd of it if you wanted to be cautious.

I’ve never found those discs of compost satisfactory at all. I was given a kit as a gift and used compost from a bag. Sorry it’s not much help to you now!

Has anyone successfully grown cumin or coriander from spice cupboard seeds?

Yes, cut the mint right back it will spring up. Have a look on your local Facebook page there might be someone having a order from a garden centre or someone going to a hardware store who would be willing to collect something for you. Again check eBay for seeds, pots etc.

When the lockdown started I happily sewed seeds, tomatoes, parsley and flowers. Nothing has germinated yet, although the parsley may have started. It's too cold I think. I had a big box of wild flower seeds from Home Bargains and have scattered them around the garden. Hopefully they'll do ok. It's a wait and see scenario. I think you should give it more time.

Thank you all for your replies. I think the seeds were probably old, and the soil plugs were a bit, well, old too, and only gave about 1/2 inch of soil, is that about right? I was expecting it to be at least 3/4 of the pot??

I’ll have to sort some compost etc and invest in some new seeds.

I had some mint in a pot in the garden, which is now Woody but showing some new shoots, if I cut it right back will it grow?

See? I really am ‘green’ with growing things!

I am still not looking at mine. As Mother used to say
'A watched pot never boils'

I'm so excited!
Three of my lettuce seeds have germinated!!

Callistemon, very true about chives. They must like their roots in cool soil.

I've found it far easier to grow herbs outdoors. Rosemary, golden marjoram. thyme, chives and a bay tree in a pot, all easy.

Mint is in a tub - to stop it spreading and taking over. I'm growing spring onions from seed in a container on the window sill. The tomato plants will go outside soon.

I have been using shower caps over my pots. You know the ones you get in hotel rooms! It works a treat. ?

You could try putting a poly bag (if you have any) over each pot.
Parsley seeds do germinate more quickly if you soak them in fairly hot water but are very slow. It's a bit early for basil, I haven't sown any yet.

Oregano, once it gets going, will seed everywhere if you grow it in the garden, I've just been heaving it out.
And chives seem to grow better in cracks in the paving slabs than in a pot.

A week is a bit soon; I've stopped looking anxiously at my lettuce and spring onion seeds every day and decided to ignore them apart from watering.

I do the same as J52. Have done it with parsley and chives for outdoors - I use both a lot. Parsley takes ages to germinate, don’t think I could be bothered to grow it from seed.
But until recently I kept a supermarket pot of basil on a windowsill for ages, cut and used it often, watered it with Baby Bio, it made lots of new shoots and leaves.