UPFRONT/LIVE
It’s Grow Time
Add flavor to your life with herbs in pots
FROM A MONEY-SAVING perspective, no garden plants pay you back as quickly as fresh herbs, which can cost several dollars for a small package at the market and often go bad before getting used up. Don’t have a garden? Herbs flourish in pots. Here’s how to grow four popular types.
Rosemary
WHAT YOU NEED: A pot at least 12 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep, with a drainage hole. Use a 50-50 mix of potting soil and cactus mix soil.
CARE: It can grow near a window, but try placing it outside during the day. Rosemary likes “a good six to eight hours of direct sunlight,” says Jill Franklin, general manager at Talini’s Nursery in Sacramento, California. It requires water just once a week. Rosemary “likes to dry out between waterings,” Franklin says.
Thyme
WHAT YOU NEED: A pot 6 to 8 inches in diameter, with a drainage hole. Franklin says, “Terra-cotta is good because it’s porous and allows a lot of air to the roots.” Potting soil is fine.
CARE: Water once a week. Add up to 2 inches of compost to the soil in spring and fall. “The organic matter will work its way into the soil, provide beneficial nutrients and enrich the soil, resulting in healthy growth,” Franklin explains.
Basil
WHAT YOU NEED: Organic potting soil in a pot at least 8 inches in diameter.
CARE: Keep it indoors until overnight temperatures are above 50 degrees. It grows well with six to eight hours of daily sunlight. Keep the soil moist. Basil is a bit high-maintenance. “You need to harvest regularly,” Franklin says. “Once it flowers, it kind of stops producing leaves. So you always want to prune off flowers to encourage more leafy growth.”
Mint
WHAT YOU NEED: A pot at least 12 inches in diameter, with well-draining soil.
CARE: “It can take as much sunlight as you can give it, or as much shade,” says Marvin Weber of Wilson Farm in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Mint is extremely easy to grow; it’s almost invasive.” Pruning is important. It also likes moisture, so water regularly. —Maisy Fernandez