Weekend garden chores: herbs
This is the time of year when fall gardening means either mums or lettuces.
We are putting in some fall ornamentals to give the flower gardens some late season color or, if we are ambitious, we are planting a second crop of leafy vegetables that will carry us through to Thanksgiving.
There's another choice, according to Amy Jeanroy, who writes about gardening for about.com: herbs.
Like spinach and chard, herbs thrive in the cool, moist air of fall and, if you are lucky, some will last you the winter.
Here are some of her suggestions, and mine.
Basil loves the warm days and cool nights. But bring it inside or cover it when frost threatens as it is a very tender plant.
Cilantro is another herb that likes the warm days and cool nights of fall. But, unlike basil, it might survive a light frost.
Dill, too, loves cool weather. And parsley doesn't require the heat of the sun to grow well. I will plant a few seedings in pots (the older plants are root-bound and yellowing) and keep them close to the house, and I might have parsley until the snow falls!
I would add to Jeanroy's list oregano and rosemary. Rosemary will winter over in the Mid-Atlantic garden. And I keep my oregano close to the house, too, to prevent frost damage.
Fresh herbs make the summer last a little longer.
Comments
Susan, I have never been able to overwinter rosemary outside, although I know that others in this area have been successful. I have mine in a pot, which will come indoors when the weather turns nippy. My pots of thyme will survive the winter outside, however, and sage, chives, and mint will be just fine in the ground.
Mine are all in pots, too, Dahlink!
Posted by: Dahlink | August 28, 2010 12:25 PM