Grow Herb Gardens from Seed

Growing an herb garden from seed is a very rewarding endeavor and a fun wintertime activity. In general, herbs tolerate poor growing conditions and still reward you with aromatic leaves and flowers.

Steps

  1. Soak the seeds in water for a few hours, or even overnight, before planting them.
  2. Assemble the soil and containers for growing the seeds in. Poke holes in the bottom of your containers for drainage. Fill containers full with a soil mixture. Pat down the soil to be sure there are no air pockets or your seeds might drop right to the bottom.
  3. Sow the herb seeds 1-3 times deeper than the size of the seed. Very tiny seeds need only to be pressed into the soil. Water the seeds and cover the containers with plastic kitchen wrap. This will keep the soil warm and eliminate the need to water until the seedlings emerge. Place flats in a warm, sunny area. Until the seeds emerge, keep the soil damp.
  4. Remove the plastic once the seedlings emerge. If you plan to transfer your seedlings to the garden, wait until at least two sets of leaves have emerged. Once it is warm enough, start leaving them outside a few hours a day. This will "harden them off" and get them ready for the harsher outdoor conditions. Water well.
  5. Transplant the plants by pinching off the lower set of leaves. Dig a hole deep enough to hold the plant just over the point where you pinched the leaves. These leaf nodes will grow roots. Gently turn the pot upside down and allow the plant to fall out into your hand. Don't pull the plant by the stem or leaves. Place the plant in hole and pat soil around your plant. Water once daily for a week and twice weekly thereafter. When the plants begin to get bushy, add mulch around them to discourage weeds.
  6. Finished.


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Tips

  • Supplement low-sunlight conditions with fluorescent lighting. Expensive "grow lights" can be purchased from garden catalogs, but a fluorescent house lamp will work.
  • Bottom water seedlings to avoid damping off by placing the plants in a pan of water.
  • Once the seedlings emerge, water them once a day.
  • Use equal parts perlite, vermiculite, and coir compost for soil. Avoid sphagnum peat moss, which is an environmentally unsustainable product. These can be purchased at a local garden center or discount chain.
  • Jiffy-Mix can be used to start seeds.

Warnings

  • Over-watering seedlings can cause damping off. Damping off is a fungal disease that causes the stems to break off and the plants to die. Allow the soil to dry for a few hours each day.

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Sources and Citations

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