Frequently Asked Questions about Herbs

What is the best location for an herb garden?
Select a location that will offer at least 4 hours of bright sunlight with an ideal sight offering 6 hours of sun. Most herbs perform best in full sun or a diffused light situation. In a full sun garden you may strategically place plants that like a little relief from the sun in the shade of a taller companion. The location should also be well drained and well ventilated.

What type of soil do herbs like?
Most herbs prefer an alkaline to neutral pH. 7.0 - 7.2 would be a good target range. Unfortunately, many of the plants used in the central Florida landscape prefer a more acidic pH. You may "sweeten" the soil with dolomitic garden lime to raise the pH.

How often do herbs need to be watered?
This question cannot honestly be answered. Each gardeners situation is unique. Are his plants in pots or the ground? If in pots, are they on a concrete deck or in the shade of a tree or awning? In general herbs are best watered in the morning. Water herbs when the soil is dry to the touch. In containers it is likely that herbs will need to be watered daily. Once established in the ground with a good layer of mulch, generally they may be watered 2-3 times a week.

What are the best herbs to start a garden? 
This is another loaded question. Most herb gardens begin as culinary gardens. With this in mind some good herbs to start with would be basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill, chives and mint. Keep in mind these are basics. There are many varieties of each of these available now.

Does an herb garden need to be fertilized?
Yes. Most books about herbs are published in the Northeast and suggest that herbs do not need to be fertilized.  Remember our growing season is nearly a full year here and plants are taxed during that growing season. If a gardener will fertilize his herb garden at least once a month with a liquid fertilizer such as Peters Plant Food he should see positive results. Fish emulsion is a good fertilizer however it offers only about 9% nitrogen and needs to be applied more frequently. We prefer Peters 20-20-20 to Miracle Gro. Miracle Gro was originally formulated for fruiting and flowering plants, herbs are desired for their foliage. Why stimulate an annual or biennial herb into a flowering state? Fertilizers are best applied in the morning before the temperature is above 80 degrees. Never apply fertilizer to a stressed or dry plant as it may burn the foliage.

How can insects be controlled organically?
Spider mites seem to be the most troublesome on herbs. To help control them a solution of Safer soap may be applied. A homemade soap can also be applied. Mix 1 ounce of Ivory dishwashing liquid to 1 gallon of water in a hose end sprayer and spray plants in the evening. Since organic methods are usually a contact kill it is important to spray the insects when they are less active. In the early evening hours bugs usually congregate under the leaves and move slower during these cooler hours. Enough pressure must be used to whip the leaves around and contact the underside of the leaves. One plant that does not respond well to soap is rosemary, always rinse the plant off after an application of soap.

Caterpillars may be controlled with a regular application of bacillus thuringensis (bt) which acts as a growth regulator. To be effective it must be applied every two weeks during caterpillar season. *A note of interest: Herbs in the carrot family such as dill, fennel and parsley are all host plants for the black swallowtail butterfly. The black swallowtail lays her eggs on these plants and the emerging caterpillar eats them. 

My rosemary was doing just fine and now it is all black at the bottom and only has leaves on the tips of the branches. What could be wrong with it?
Herbs are often plagued by fungal problems, especially during the humid summer months. After ruling out that the plant has not been deprived of water too long and just dried out it is safe to say that it may have a fungus. Never trim the green foliage off at this point. It will absorb any excess moisture and continue to nourish the plant. Remove any of the brown foliage and treat with a copper or baking soda. Baking soda may be routinely applied at the rate of 1 ounce per gallon of water to herb plants to help repel fungus. Often if the plant is too far gone it will not help and copper may be used.

My basil has black spots and is wilting, what is the problem?
To keep basil it needs consistently warm temperatures (preferably 80 or above) and long daylight hours. When the days become shorter and nights get cooler basil often develops this virus. Many times the stress of drying out or being over watered may trigger the problem. Basil is a summer annual and is best grown from mid-March thru October. Basil, like chives and parsley is a high nitrogen feeder and needs to be fed often.

Why doesn't my cilantro/coriander do well?
Cilantro is the term used for the leaf of the coriander plant. Cilantro is a cool weather annual. When the length of the days grow longer in late spring cilantro's time is up. It will usually decline in production and bolt, going to seed. For summer cilantro flavor we recommend culantro commonly used throughout the West Indies.

Is rosemary a perennial in Florida?
Yes. Rosemary is an evergreen perennial in Florida. Many herbs are perennials in Florida, sage, thyme, oregano,and mint to name a few.

Can I plant all of my herbs in the same pot?
Not all herbs are compatible. The simplest rule to follow is those that like a moister environment and those preferring a drier soil. Plants that work well together would be basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, dill, fennel, tarragon, lemon balm and another group to place together would be rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano. Of course these are only suggestions for a beginner. 

Will my herbs grow well indoors?
Herbs will not perform indoors as well as outside. Our use of air conditioners seems to dry them out quickly and low light situations make them appear weak and pithy. A sunny porch or deck would be a better place for them.

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