Hello. I need a little help from all you gardeners out there. I bought about 10 herbs from the local nursery the other day and planted them in the appropriate sized pots. I was just wondering if anybody had any tips for caring for them. I live in south Louisiana if that makes a difference. Also, the pots are outside. I had a small herb garden once before and killed them all. So I was just looking for a little advice so that this doesn’t happen again! Thanks!
Tagged with: herb garden South Louisiana
Filed under: Gardening Resources
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Well, I’m not sure how you killed them before, so what to do different? In general they are extremely easy to grow. Water them regularly, if they are in porous clay pots possibly every day. most need full sun but not all. Don’t over fertilize. Without knowing the specific herbs that is all the advise I can give you.
The most important tip is that different herbs have different watering needs, so best to carefully read the plant tags that came with them. Basil and parsley will need more water than thyme or rosemary. Rosemary is also prone to powdery mildew if it doesn’t have at least 7 to 8 hours of sun. Basil and parsley like a bit of afternoon shade. You can check to see if they need water by sticking your finger about 2 inches into the soil – if it feels dry, water. Herbs in general don’t need much feeding, however, I like to give mine a bit of fish fertilizer (5-2-1) every 2 weeks, which they seem to like. Make sure you use a very high quality potting mix (organic is best). Poor potting mix can be a disaster for plants (and stain the pavement underneath the pots). Lastly, they will do better planted in pots that are at least 12 inches wide. This gives the roots plenty of room to thrive and helps give better access to water and nutrients. Good luck!
No overwaterring, especially if you live in South. Too much water makes the roots rotten. If you see black spots on stems or leaves, sometime white fungus growing on it, it’s infected and to be removed from healthy part right away. Also watch for spider mites and caterpillars. They’ve killed some of my herbs before. Herbs are pretty easy to grow but check on them every day to protect them.