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While I primarily was addressing this to STT Resident because I know she's got lots of experience, I welcome everyone's input.
I have started an herb garden. And, its going gang busters - yippee! The plants are now large enough that I can start harvesting. But, of course, I only want to snip SOME of the plant to use day-to-day. So, my question will reveal that I am clearly a novice at this herb growing stuff. Here goes........
Do I take my kitchen scissors and clip the TOP of the plant or do I pull stems/leaves from the bottom of the plant....or ?
Posted : October 27, 2006 1:42 pm
From the top for basil and you should start doing this early on in growth so that you get a "bush" rather than a stringly strangly after-growth. Be not afraid!
Your basil will not last for too many months as much as you take care of it. I don't use much basil myself but give the majority of it to a fellow restaurauteur whose chefs use it a lot. It eventually woods out and I usually start plant new seeds about a month (in small containers) after transplanting seedlings into my beds (well-composted, vermiculite, not too much sun.) I have a composter into which I toss loads of things and get incredibly rich, black compost rather quickly. Mix that well with either commercial potting soil or even basic topsoil, and not too much compost vs. soil because the compost is incredibly rich. More on that if anyone's interested. But I digress.
I don't bother with chives. For the minimum amount I use it's cheaper to buy the odd packie when I need it. Chives don't propogate or stem out (like basil) so you just cut them as needed and in this climate they really don't last too long.
Cilantro is a parsley. Little direct sun and clip off from the bottom what you need. Again, for me, not really worth the effort. Although my general food purchases are from wholesale food merchants, parsley and cilantro are abundant at local supermarkets and very cheap.
Rosemary is very easy and very long-lasting. Clip it from the top with bravado and it goes on for a very long time (and it both dries and freezes very well with the latter better than the former where taste is concerned.)
I love my local bayleaf from STJ and am awaiting a next batch from friends over there (freeze it!) while I'm still trying to get a handle on local thyme which I used to grow in abundance and which is infinitely superior to anything you can buy in the stores either fresh or dried and again is very easy but, like mint (see below) tends to be rather invasive.
Beware of fresh mint unless you plant it in a contained spot. The perennial of all perennial herbs it roots out ad nausea if not contained and its root system will suffocate everything around it.
Enough. Succumbing to a bug I've been fighting off for a week now, Hope this helps!
Posted : October 27, 2006 5:50 pm
Topic starter
Thanks STT Res! Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Posted : October 30, 2006 4:00 pm
