Need help growing HERBS.

[Gary350]

I live 30 miles south of Nashville TN. We have a lot of rain in the spring, rain usually 5 days out of 7, March April and May. Summers are very hot and very dry. June rain starts to taper off then we get evening showers and thrunder storms. July and August we may get rain only once or twice the whole month with temperatures 95 to 100 most of the time. Last 2 summers we had 30 days over 100 degrees with no rain. Soil SUCKS. I have worked in lots of orgainic stuff, compose, peat moss, sand so the soil is better but a long way from good by my standards. I have to fertilize or plants don't grow much at all.

I would like to grow Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic, Rosemary maybe others. I have bought herbs in plant trays, some times they grow for a few weeks then they die. I water every evening but they die anyway. The only plant that lived last summer was the rosemary. The only plant that lived summer before last was basil.

[rainbowgardener]

Sounds like a tough climate to garden in and not one I'm familiar with. But given the soil issues, sounds like you might want to build raised beds. Then you can fill them with good enriched soil, maybe add in some peat moss for moisture retention for when it gets so hot. One advantage of the raised beds, make them 4' wide and they are just the right size for garden hoops. You can just stick the metal hoops into the raised beds and then when it gets hot put floating row cover over the hoops. (Makes it look like a conestoga wagon ) But the row cover reduces the sun intensity, makes it easier for things to get through the really hot weather. (It's just a very light weight, loose weave, white fabric)

If what you want to grow is herbs, try sage, the rosemary and basil, thyme, oregano, lavender, pennyroyal. There's a ton of different sages with different flavorings and some ornamental ones as well.

[The Helpful Gardener]

The good news is herbs generally grow well in bad soil: I have used a less productive area of the yard (near the kitchen door) for my herbs. I don't fertilize the herbs much as they seem to do better in less fertile soils with good drainage. Sand is a good amendment usually in this climate; drainage is more important than fertility for most of the herbs (think about the Mediterranean area most of these come from; hot and dry with calcerous soils).

I start with the perennials as the bones of the garden, leaving spaces in between for annuals like basil. I have a few lavenders, a sage (several years old and getting shrubby), a tarragon (love it with green beans) several thymes (two english and a lemon) and a big old patch of oregano (which has donated starters to several other gardeners; oregano needs watching as it moves fast...)

I'll interplant that with some chives, a Thai basil and a globe basil, and I do a row of basil in the garden as well (pesto season is sort of a religious holiday around here and we need a vast amount to get us through the year). I grow my mint and rosemary in containers (the latter so I can move it into the garage for winter and the former to control it). I usually try out one new herb a year to see if it makes the grade for permanant inclusion; trying summer savory this year...

So Gary, don't be shy about herbs; they're really pretty easy, and if you love food you go to a whole new place with fresh herbs. Very rewardng stuff...

HG