No luck with Herbs

[GroovyGran]

Hi, I am new to the forum and could use some advice about growing herbs.
I have bought herbs about 5 times now, growing in there pots from our local supermarket. But every time they just die on me.
I have tried them on two different windowsills in my kitchen and have just bought some more which I have planted in there own pot and put outside in the sunniest part of the garden (We don't get much sun here in the UK)
I have bought flat leaf parsley, mint, chives and basil.
They just seem to go limp on me and die. The parsley always seems to break off at soil level.
any tips would be welcome.

Linda

[Ted M]

Groovy, I am new to herbs as well, I have grown everything but herbs.

I have just started all my new herbs in pots, basil, chives, rosemarry and I have figured out that at least where I live the grocery store herbs do not grow. I know they come in some dirt wrapped in plastic, but I have had no luck in keeping them alive. Now the herbs I buy from the big box stores are doing great. It took me a while to figure out soil drainage and watering for each plant, but everything is going good so far...

[GeorgiaGirl]

I used to be mystified that all my herbs died too. I figured out that my problems were:

1. Trying to grow them in the plastic pots they came in. They usually need to be transplanted into larger pots or they will become root-bound and die. I recently discovered that my basil has roots nearly a foot long... no wonder those roots became tangled and circled over themselves in a tiny 4" pot!

2. Not giving them enough sun. I've lived in England before so I know the lack-of-sunshine problem, but if they're now in the sunniest part of your garden, they should have enough sun to live.

3. Forgetting to water them, then drowning them to try to compensate. If you plant them in the ground, this shouldn't be as much of a problem, but it's still a good idea to check them every day for a while to see if the soil feels dry. There are also self-watering pots that can help if you're as busy and/or lazy as I was about checking on my herbs!

Now that I've corrected all three of these problems, I have seven different herbs that are all thriving, and I've been harvesting and eating them for several weeks. I'm not sure if any of my problems apply to you, but just wanted to share what has worked for me to end my brown/shriveled fingers streak!

[GroovyGran]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
My husband has just taken me to our nearest garden centre where I have bought some mint and some flat leaf parsley, they are my most favourite so I will start with those. I already have some quite big pots and have bought some tub & container compost and some vemiculite.
I am going to plant them out shortly, so wish me luck! I have wrote down all your tips and will let you know how I get on.

Thanks
Linda

[rainbowgardener]

The parsley breaking off at soil level sounds like it might be damping off, a fungal disease that happens when the soil stays too moist.

As noted, you want to watch out for the supermarket pots. They will need to be in bigger pots with lots of drainage. Try putting a little gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage. Herbs mostly come from hot dry climates; they like to dry out between waterings.

[LBorders]

I only have rosemary, sage, oregano, chives growing. They are actually facing west, but are also between the overflow of my rain barrels. I don't know how middle Tennessee climate compares. I got all mine from either grocery stores or co-op stores or big-box stores. Mind you, those are the only ones I have gotten to hold on.

one funny thing happened. I was watering them when the weather was really, really dry and a watered a toad right out of the ground. I didnt know they would bury themselves in the dirt!

[Ted M]

Laura, Toads can live in drier climates and they will bury themselves to stay cool and damp. Plus they love the worms and slugs that thrive in the cool dry places...