💥Struggling With Herbs? Check Out My Tips for Success!

A friend emailed me recently saying that no matter how much he tries to grow herbs, he just doesn't have much luck. Does that sound familar?

Guess what? Don’t tell anybody, but I’m not always successful growing plants either! 😏

My thumb isn’t always as green as I’d like it to be, and some plants are more troublesome than others. In this Herb Talk, I thought I would talk about some issues I’ve had with growing herbs, what I look for and how I tackle the problems.

Weather-Related Plant Stress

Some years, depending on the weather, damage can happen fast. A stretch that turns too wet—or too dry—in just a few days can set a plant back quickly.

Then there are the pests that show up out of nowhere, and sometimes the damage is done before I get a chance to correct it. Weakened plants are always more susceptible to disease and pests. It happens.

When I lose plants, I start looking for replacements. Because it takes so long to sow a seed and grow it to the harvest stage, sometimes it’s simply easier to buy a plant.

Buying Herbs at the Right Time

I always keep an eye out at the stores for nice, fresh herbs when they first arrive. The best time of year is spring, which we are entering now. Even though our temperatures are warming up, some lows are still dropping into the 40’s, which can be a problem for heat-loving herbs, like basil.

If I can find a nice-looking basil plant, I go ahead and buy it and protect it until the weather is consistently staying in the 50’s. Generally I will keep the plant inside the house to avoid the possibility of temps dipping and killing my new, beautiful plant.

Recently, I published a post on my Facebook and Instagram pages about managing a basil plant I brought home from Publix (a grocery store in my area), showing the process of thinning and repotting it. Yesterday, I did another thinning and trimming of the plant to promote new growth.

Making Use of Harvested Herbs

With all of that lovely basil I harvested, I made some pesto which I used on baked fish—and then the next day on a pizza. If you haven’t seen those recent basil videos, they may be helpful if you’re trying to keep a store-bought plant going. The same process applies to most herbs!

I did create a YouTube video a while back on how to re-pot and transplant herbs and plant cuttings. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTbdwhl_hEU

Checking Plant Condition Before Buying

Another thing that’s important to look for when buying fresh herb plants is that they are not too dry, because some stores aren’t set up to water them well. They can dry out quickly if they aren’t purchased soon after arriving in the store.

Some herbs sold in the produce area at the grocery store have pots wrapped in plastic sleeves to help hold moisture and keep the plants from drying out too fast. However, if the plant is too wet, that wrap can hold moisture against the base of the plant and promote mold and rot.

So keep an eye out for “too wet” or “too dry” by gently moving the plastic wrap enough to see what’s happening at the base of the plant.

Saving Overwatered Plants

If you find that you forgot to check and end up with a plant that's too wet, you can still save it! Check out my YouTube video where I show how I save my too-wet plants. I also have a blog about it!

Garden shops have similar issues, but for different reasons. Plants may be exposed to direct sunlight, which can dry them out quickly, or they may stay too wet for too long during rainy periods.

Pest Awareness When Buying Plants

As the season progresses, pests also start showing up more on outdoor garden shop plants. Try to learn what your common pests look like. In many cases, pests are introduced at the originating greenhouse or shade area and travel to the store with the plants.

Leaf minor on a basil plant

Heat and Pest Problems

Pest and disease issues also develop faster in the heat, so they become more prevalent as summer approaches. You don’t want to bring problems home if you can help it, so take a good look at the plants to see if there are any noticeable insects on them before you buy. I wrote a couple of blogs showing some pests, you can find them on my blog page!

Handling Difficult Herbs

Sometimes certain herbs just tend to give me problems; Sage is a good example of this. What I do in these scenarios is harvest, collect and store. When I get a nice, healthy plant of a troublesome herb, like sage, I try to trim and collect as much as I can to store for later use. This way, if the plant doesn’t last, I have what I want from it stored away and can start the process of growing another one.

Practical Strategy to Grow Herbs Successfully

So to wrap up this subject for now: if you have trouble growing herbs, but really like using them, consider buying them the way you buy produce. Be prepared to use them fresh as much as you can, and dry or freeze what you can’t use right away so you have them on hand to use later. If you’re lucky, you may be able to keep a purchased plant going longer than you expect before you need another.

The idea is to know where your herbs come from. If they come from your own garden, you know how long they’ve been in a jar or on a shelf. You will also spend less money if you are growing the plants yourself. Fresher herbs, less money - good deal!

In the upcoming Herb Talks, instead of brief mentions of identifying pests, I’m thinking about going more in depth on pests and options for control. If you’re having a specific problem, let me know and I’ll make sure to discuss it sooner rather than later.

Happy planting!