Growing a variety of herbs in a single pot is the best way to save space on your patio, porch or kitchen windowsill, while still providing yourself with an assortment of fragrant, tasty herbs for cooking. It can be done if you keep a few things in mind before planting.
CONTAINER
Choose a container that is well-suited for growing herbs. Good drainage is a must. Most herbs are shallow-rooted, so a container does not need to be very deep. At least 6 inches deep will suffice; however 8 to 10 inches is better. More than that is simply unnecessary.
Some herbs that get bushy need some space to spread out. Don't crowd them, but most herbs require only 2 to 4 inches of space away from its neighbor. Check on the back of seed packets, or on the plant marker if you are buying seedlings, to find out the recommended spacing.
Large window boxes or a trough will house the biggest variety of herbs, and even a 12-inch-diameter plastic pot can hold three or four at once.
GROUPING HERBS
Choose plants with similar growing requirements when you are deciding which plants to put in your containers. Plants grouped together should have similar light, water and feeding needs. You don't want to put a sun and water worshipper in the same pot as a plant that likes it on the cool and dry side, because if one of them is getting exactly what it needs, the other is going to suffer.
Some sun lovers who also enjoy moist soil that do well together are sweet basil, lemon balm, lovage and tarragon. Sun lovers that like their soil to be less moist are sage, thyme, coriander and dill.
Some plants that prefer partial shade, less heat, and their soil to be on the moist side are parsley and sweet woodruff. Though not herbs, loose leaf lettuce and spinach also thrive under the same conditions and require little enough space to fit into a container.
Herbs that like partial shade and drier conditions are onion chives, lemon verbena, sweet marjoram, oregano and catnip.
Lavender and rosemary both enjoy full sun to partial shade, but they can be fussy in the worst of the summer's heat. They also both benefit from a boost of lime every now and then, so once every two months ground your eggshells and sprinkle them onto the soil. This will keep the soil a bit more alkaline than most herbs like.
Some herbs should be avoided when grouping plants in a single container because they are invasive. Mint varieties and garlic chives should have their own containers because they are space hogs with an aggressive nature. Other herbs won't stand a chance against them for more than one growing season.
CARE TIPS
Prepare your soil so that it is loose and has plenty of organic matter. Mix any all-purpose potting soil with equal amounts of compost and peat moss. For herbs that like their soil on the dry side, add some sand. Place a 1- to 2-inch layer of gravel on the bottom of your container before you add your growing medium to promote good drainage.
Always keep plant markers next to each herb so you will remember what they are. Herbs that look similar can be confused and may ruin a good recipe. If you did not buy starter plants with plant markers, write the name of the herb on a wooden craft stick with a permanent marker.
Fertilize herbs in containers lightly but regularly. Every six to eight weeks, water with a diluted, all-purpose, water-soluble fertilizer or manure tea. Promote growth and keep the size of your plants under control by harvesting frequently.
SOURCE(S) : http://www.ehow.com/way_5899425_can-different-herbs-same-pot_.html
Comments