Advice required on keeping herbs in pots alive.?!
Basil flourishes but I cannot keep coriander or mint alive for more than a few days.
Any advice please?
Answers: I have no garden or window box, so I rely on the little pots of herbs from the supermarket.
Basil flourishes but I cannot keep coriander or mint alive for more than a few days.
Any advice please?
I wouldn't buy them in the first place. They really are a rip off (supermarkets again). They are immature plants raised artificially and very quickly and are nothing more than leggy seedlings. They have very little intensity of flavour and you will get more for your money by buying the cut herbs.
repot them in to a bigger pot with good drainage. the pot doesnt have to be huge, but bigger than the seedling pot you buy them in. Make sure you are getting them enough sunlight and water and drainage. Put them outside for some sun every few days or keep them outside until you need some herb, and pick it off as you need it. Basil will be easy to keep, and mint should be too. Check a gardening site for tips on growing herbs, because all herbs require different care. You could also pick the herbs fresh and then freeze them straight away in a zip lock bag and use what you need straig from the freezer. They still taste good, even though they have been frozen. Parsley keeps very well frozen!!
larger pots?
http://www.richters.com/newdisplay.cgi?p...
http://www.bachmans.com/retail/tipsheets...
read the articles at the sites above.....my girlfriend is a manager of a greenhouse and has been for nine years......some herbs just do not do well indoors with all the proper lighting...watering and temps coriander and mint are just a couple of a whole list that does not do well.....
Many herbs do not do particularly well inside in pots. Coriander in particular has a pretty short time frame before it flowers and seeds even outside in the garden.
You might get decent results if you invested in a special grow light and system, but that is expensive. Most herbs these day can be easily obtained at the supermarket in a decently sized, organically grown bunch at a reasonable cost. Just bring them home, put the root end or stems in water and place in the fridge. They'll keep about 5-7 days. Alternatively, you can simply throw them into a ziplock and then into the freezer. No need to even thaw them.