Herbs

[3andnomore]

Well, I bought some herbseeds, and what it says on the back of the packet just goes completely over my head (I really am not gardening minded one bit)...how do you grow them best, when do you put the seeds out, best in a sunny place or shadow.
Outdoor or Indoors better? If indoors....on a sunny window sill or better not there?

Also, when I buy herbs in pots, and follow the instructions...why do they die almost immediately? What do I do wrong?

yep, i'll second this, why do they die after following instructions, and WHY arn't granny's herbs growing that DS planted on mothers day. Chives have, but the rest... Squat, nada, arn't gonna grace us. yet we sit and wait.. and wait.. and wait..

well it all depends on which ones you bought - sorry, but the 'instructions' are there for a reason! some like hot, some like cold, some like dry, some like wet...

And some plants are just hard to grow - there's nothing on the label to say 'btw, this one is a tricky little b***, fussy as a wet siamese, frankly I'd leave it to the experts'.

if you buy supermarket ones in pots in the veg section they will die fairly soon because they are used to living in a temperature and climate controlled greenhouse drenched in water and food at just the right time - the little bit of compost they're in has no hope of supporting them for more than a day or so, basically they're more like cut flowers than plants.

Best thing - ask mumsnet before you buy!

so these grow your own herb pots, where they all go into the same pot, in their own little sections, and looks very nice and useful, is a pile of shop-making-money-crap?

Try starting with mint. Mint is dead easy to grow (in fact, once started, it is hard to stop it from spreading everywhere), it is useful for cooking (with potatoes, peas, roast lamb, etc) and it is perennial (ie, it dies back in winter but then regrows the next spring, so if you are successful with it, you will have it for years, rather than just this summer).

My children bought a small pot of mint from the garden centre for £1.49 the other day as their first foray into growing herbs.

And planted it in the garden, I meant to say.

thanks for mint tip. only we don't have a garden as such. it's all paved. Ugh i know. So we are trying pots.

Oh well mint is great for pots too. In fact, it is quite common for mint to be grown in pots because it is such a strong grower and, as I said, will take over an entire bed if grown in the ground. Depending on space and how much mint you want, you will need a fairly biggish pot for it though and don't put another herb in with it, unless you want to see horticultural murder take place!

Herbs I have had success with.... (bought in pots from garden centre, though)

Chives
thyme
rosemary
sage
mint
marjoram
mint

Parsley (flat and curly)
tarragon

First group come back every year, second group I buy a new pot and plant in the spring.

HTH

thank you for all the comments
Now I know why those supermarket herbs are just rubbish then...other then for the quick use.
We do have a huge garden,but also have a dog, so, I was hoping to have them in pots ratehr then on the ground....dogwee in my salad or food just doesn't appeal to me one bit, lol!
Do all grow o.k. in pots...
Will definetely try it with mint! Be great to make mint, tee, and lovely in cold water wiht a bit of lime
The seeds we bought, btw, are form lidls..does it make a difference if you buy cheap seeds or more expensive ones?
Which plant food is best for herbs...oh and what sort of earth...anything specifically good!
If you do them in pots....would deep pots be better or smaller ones? Actually in our case, I would really like to plant them in those "Windowbox" thing...that way I know the dog can't get to them, lol...are those o.k.?
And would it be better to do the lil seedlings indoors and then plant them into their "destination" once they come up a bit?
I know...questions over questions..I truely am rubbish wiht gardening...and my FIL and my own mother who both are good in gardening, don't really know much about herbs...sigh!

My oregano failed to sprout .

blimey 3andnomore, what a lot of questions

• cheap seeds are just as good as expensive seeds as long as the cheap ones are fresh, although this doesn't matter at all for some seeds which last for ever. So just go for it. (if you like seedporn, look at Sarah Raven's website then look at the prices and how many seeds you get in the packet and feel smug about your Lidl purchases)
• some herbs like life tough and hot and harsh, rubbish soil and no food. anything mediterranean with tough leaves is in this category - rosemary, oregano, marjoram, thyme. But tbh these are best bought as plants. if you know someone with rosemary then get a twig off their bush and shove it in the ground and it may well grow. these lot don't root very deep generally
• some like it lusher: ones with soft leaves like parsley, basil, coriander, mint want it a bit more fertile and wet. But i NEVER feed my herbs - they are supposed to feed me! they want to stay damp but are happy shallow too they are only little plants (but it's easier to keep them damp if the pots are deeper)
• if you do them indoors first then you can see what you've got before they go into their final destination. It's easier to keep them warm indoors (READ THE PACKET!)if they need it
• if you tell us what you've bought we can help you better. herbs can be very different.

tfb...lol...seed porn????????? lol...
Anyway, I got:
Basil
Marjoram
Thyme
Parsley
Chives

but also want to get Mint, Oregano, sage and tarragon

My parsley took ages (weeks and weeks!)to germinate last year. I had given up on it an the pot had been thrown in the corner of the garden in disgust waiting for me empty it somewhere when it decided to finally grow.