In The Herb Garden - March

By Debs Cook

For future readers who read this article, some of my comments may seem odd regarding the weather and time of month, but the year I wrote this (2008) March was a strange month weatherwise. We had glorious spring days followed by dark wet dreary weather, the kind we associate with the depths of winter. Easter this year saw many of us wake up to snow! It was bitterly cold, no sun or warmth that one associates with this time of year. Here it was so cold and damp, I stayed inside and designed the new areas of the garden we want to work on this year. Due to other commitments I didn't get this March article done at the beginning of the month as planned, so it appears just before the April article, I apologise to readers who waited for this article at the beginning of the month, but better late than never!

Lucky for me last month my greenhouse was finished and at the start of March when we had the first few spring like days, I began sowing seeds to get a head start on the year, and already the basil seedlings have emerged, and for the first time EVER I've had success sowing rosemary from seed! This year I'll keep a more watchful eye on the basil, as last year I sowed lemon basil, opal basil and sweet basil and the slugs ate them all before they had got beyond the 4 leaf stage! I don't like using chemicals in the garden, so this year I'm going to try using garlic spray, granules and various other DIY remedies, which I'll share with you all as I try them. If anyone has any organic slug prevention tips, please share them on the forum.

In February I talked about planning your herb garden before you start, and I took my own advice. This year we plan on adding a veggie plot to the garden using a series of raised beds; we found decking boards at our local DIY shop were reduced, so we're going to use these to construct the raised beds. I'll be companion planting with herbs, so I've been sowing additional pots of calendula, chives and borage. Although I confess that more herbs will wind up in the veggie plot than most peoples. I read recently that the evening primrose has an edible root that resembles parsnip in taste, so I thought I'd grow more of these than usual, and harvest the root and try it after the flowers have finished sharing their beautiful fragrance, the flowers are edible to! I'm currently looking for other herbs that double up as veggies as well to justify packing more in to the veg plot.

Also last month I talked about using natural products to clean out your pots, greenhouse etc, a lady emailed me and said she used a product called Citrox , which is an organic citrus extract for cleaning greenhouses, pots, staging, tools, seed trays, bird feeders and bird baths, it apparently doesn't harm plant material so can also be used to disinfect water for washing cuttings, bulbs and corms. I'll keep a look out for that one, as its supposed to smell nice to!

So on to March, its the time to start seed sowing, remove any protection you gave last year to tender herbs such as lemon verbena, myrtle, scented geraniums and some of the fruit sages, but keep an eye on the weather, if there is going to be any frosts, protect the plant once again.

Nows also a good time to finish off tidying the garden, divide clumps of herbs you haven't got round to doing so far, such as thyme, lovage, chives and mint, discard the dead and damaged growth, and replant the divisions. I'd suggest replanting mint in tubs, I made the mistake of planting a little by the pond and now I have a problem as its trying to take over that area, easy enough in a small garden to pull it out, but if left unchecked it can and will take over.

If you have a limited amount of space for your herb garden, nows the time to be ruthless, if a herb isn't giving you what you need, or you're not making good use of it, do you really want to keep it? Would the space be better used to grow more of something you really love or try something you think may be more worthwhile growing? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, pull up the herb no longer needed and clear the ground and make it ready for the new herb.

If you don't feel confident to start growing from seed, or want some ready established plants to add to your herb garden. Then take a trip to your local garden centre, most of them do deals when you buy several herbs at once. But take care, even these established herbs may still need a little shelter from the cold and frosts before they are planted out. Prune back roses and shrubby herbs like sage; and give your lavender a spring haircut.

It's also a good time to begin herb topiary to use as garden centrepiece's in the future. Garden centres are beginning to sell ready trained rosemary and lavender shrubs clipped into shapes alongside the bay 'lollipops' and other clipped bays and box. But they have hefty price tags, so making your own will save you a packet and be a little more rewarding. You can use any of the following herbs as your topiary base:- myrtle, cotton lavender, box, bay, lavender, rosemary or winter savory. Decide on the shape you want and begin to make it happen. There's some books listed below that will show you how to turn your herbs into herbal topiary.

Keep an eye on your newly emerging seedlings, as soon as the first signs of germination are seen, remove any paper or polythene covers and, if the pot has been stored in dark place, move it to a location where it is in full light but still equally warm and not in direct sun. Shortly afterwards, when germination is well under way, remove the glass or plastic cover so that air can circulate around the seedlings. Trays or pots on a windowsill should be turned daily to compensate for the seedlings inclination to grow towards the light. Be sure to keep the developing seedlings moist at all times but wait until the compost surface starts to dry out before watering again to avoid over-watering. No feeding is needed at this stage.

Plant Wise

Seeds - Continue sowing herb seeds throughout this month, remember that some herb seeds like a cold start this is called cold stratification (see the entry under stratification here) these include soapwort, sweet cicely, juniper, witchhazel, sweet woodruff and angelica. If stratification is required, the information should be on the seed packet. There is a long list of herbs you can sow in March, agrimony, anise hyssop, chamomile, dill, fennel, bergamot, chives to name but a few. Check the back of your seed packet, sowing and harvesting information is usually there.

Plant Out – If the frosts have passed, you can plant a box hedge, also rosemary, lavender, sage, catmint, pinks and any of the perennial herbs can be planted out now. You still have time to plant out bare rooted roses and you can begin planting up herb containers for the patio or for use as a focal point in the garden. Propagate – You can take cuttings from the new growth put on by lavender, rosemary, thyme, winter savory, and witchhazel and other similar herbs. Continue to lift and divide herbs such as costmary, sweet woodruff, soapwort, mint and garlic chives.

That's all until next month, remember to continue keeping a careful eye out for frosts by checking the Met Office Website and make sure your freshly planted seeds and newly emerging herb growth are well protected. If the weather continues to improve then next month we may be thinking about potting on and planting out.