Tips For Growing Herbs In Containers

04/20/2009
Growing herbs in containers on your deck or patio is an effective way to bring the flavor, fragrance and color of herbs into your daily activities. However, in order to ensure that your container herbs do well, a few tips can be helpful.

First, not all herbs have the same watering requirements. Some, like basils, mints, chives, parsleys, stevias and fennels, like to be damp all the time. Others, like sage, thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro and lavender, prefer to be dry. Consequently, the first rule for planting herbs in containers is to plant "like with like"; that is, herbs with similar water requirements together.

Second, not all herbs have the same light requirements. Some, like basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano, enjoy full sun all day. Others, like lovage, chervil, ginseng and woodruff, prefer full shade. Yet others, like mint, chives, parsley and fennel are highly adaptable, and will thrive in a partially shaded location. environment.

Third, most herbs are sensitive to high temperatures. Don't place dark colored containers with cool season annuals like dill or cilantro in locations where afternoon temperatures are high. This is a sure way to kill most cool weather annuals and damage even hardy perennials and warm weather annuals. Reflected heat from the surroundings and well as heat absorbed by dark colored containers can cause leaf tip burn, stretching, and yellowing in container grown herbs.

Fourth, air temperature and humidity affect water and light requirements for your container grown herbs. Lower temperatures and cloud cover decrease the amount of water your herbs take up, as well as the amount of moisture absorbed from the container soil by the ambient air. Consequently, watering requirements decrease with cool and/or cloudy weather; this is an important point to note with regard to rosemarys, sages and lavenders, which are all prone to root rot if kept in wet soil mixes for extended periods of time. Moreover, higher humidity, particularly in the summertime, means that the water which splashes on herb leaves during watering is slower to evaporate; thus providing an ideal medium for various airborne fungi and rots (such as fusarium) to take root on your plant's leaves. This problem is particularly prevelant in container plants grown in confined areas, with poor air circulation. Consequently, savvy gardeners will ensure that they water the roots, rather than the leaves of their container plants, especially during periods of high humidity.

Bottom line: know the water and light requirements of your container grown herbs before planting them, and adjust watering schedules in response to changing weather. If you do, your herbs grown in containers will reward you with an entire season of vibrant colors, textures and fragrances in locations which fit your lifestyle.