User avatar
PunkRotten
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:48 pm
Location: Monterey, CA.

Basil, mint, Cumin - in the ground or pots?

Hi,

In your opinion do you think these do better in pots or the ground? Also, would 3 hours of direct sun be enough for them?

User avatar
digitS'
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3925
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

Start with: I don't know anything about growing cumin. :?

Do you mean better, better? For the mint plant, the ground is better. It can grow to its heart's delight and out-compete most anything. Better for the gardener :wink: ? Perhaps, the container to keep it, um, contained.

Three hours of sunlight is probably adequate.

The basil plant probably doesn't care much about in-ground growing but will grow to a very good-sized plant if given enuf fertile soil and room. However, its entire life-cycle can be spent in a pot, even crowded in with its brothers & sisters :roll:.

I don't think that basil will do well with only 3 hours of sunlight. That is, I think it needs more hours of direct sun for normal growth.

Steve

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Agree. The mint will do fine with limited hours of sun and is best grown in containers, so that it doesn't take over your yard.

Basil does fine in containers, but IMO does even better in the ground, but will NOT do well with only 3 hrs of sun, may not survive that, definitely won't thrive.

I also don't have any experience with cumin.

User avatar
PunkRotten
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:48 pm
Location: Monterey, CA.

Well, in this area of my yard I am growing only herbs. I am gonna grow things like cumin, thyme, Dill, catnip, mint, chives etc. I already planted the mint plant. So if I were to plant the others beside it would the mint plant outcompete the others and they wouldn't do well? I don't mind the mint going crazy. I would also like to plant some in my front yard too.


Also could any of these be grown by cuttings? Meaning, if I cut a branch could I replant it and would it grow a new plant? Would I have to wait for roots to do this?

User avatar
digitS'
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3925
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

The mint will certainly grow from cuttings and it just about out-competes everything.

I've grown thyme several times ( :wink:) - from seed. The resultant plants do just fine after that. They spread well and are very hardy. I would bet they are also good candidates for cuttings.

Catnip seems to me to be kind of a tender perennial. The plants don't last more than a year or 2 and it really seems to want to grow in protected locations. I often find it growing in the midst of other plants like juniper shrubs and blackberry brambles :roll: . It ends up there because catnip does a first rate job of self-sowing. And, these locations are often fairly shady.

Chives are an excellent choice for a shady area. My patch of chives lives and thrives in just about the shadiest location in my yard. It only gets early morning sun during most of the year. In fact, during the winter months, it gets no direct sunlight at all.

Dill volunteers here and there in my vegetable garden. It probably would not do very well in a shady location but I'm not sure. I have a number of nice dill plants in my sweet onions right now. I will do my best to make room for them by harvesting some of those sweet onions as scallions. Dill can almost rise to the "weed" category but the plants are often where they shouldn't be - like on a path. So, a dozen or so turning up somewhere acceptable is appreciated :) .

Steve

greenstubbs
Senior Member
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:41 pm
Location: Far Upper Alabama

I have no experience with basil or cumin, but let me tell you about mint. I had it growing in the yard! I couldn't figure out why every time I cut the grass I was smelling mint till I found it. Dug some up and threw it in a pot and took off like crazy, it's basically a weed. It gets really hot here in summer in No Cal. and if it's in a pot, it will want H2O. It will tell you when it wants a drink. When wilted and given water it perks right up. With the amount of sun you say it will do fine, in a pot the more shade the better as it will dry out fast. I planted a root bound plant in a shady area of the yard and so far so good, this was 3 weeks ago. It's super easy to grow and requires nothing more than water, however a shot of Miricle Grow early in the season and it will be super happy! Good Luck



Return to “Herb Gardening Forum”