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Re: Can herbs be brought indoors over winter?

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

<snip>
>My question is, can I take some out of the garden, plant in a
>pot/planter and keep indoors over the winter?  We've already had several
>hard frosts but most of my herbs are still hanging in there, i.e.,
>oregano, thyme, parsley, chives and mint.
<snip>

I grow herbs in pots year round. Everything that you mention is a 
perennial,  except for the parsley. A couple of weeks before we anticipate 
turning the heat on, I bring in french and lemon thyme, greek oregano, 
mint. I have a full southern exposure, so the plants get plenty of sun. 
I've tried bringing the parsley in, but it really isn't happy. So, I'm 
leaving ithe mature plant outside, and I'm starting some from seed indoors 
to see if it is happier that way. Parsley in a pot by the door seems to 
withstand frosts and even some snow. I've always brought my rosemary in 
now, but this year I'm leaving it outside until it is hit with a few 
frosts. Mine has never bloomed, and I read this summer that it has to get 
some frost to bloom.

Chives and french tarragon need to stay in the cold for a while. My chives 
are already in pots, but yours should be in a pot before it is hit with 
frost. Leave them out for several weeks until they've been hit with several 
hard frosts. Tarragon looks completely dead, chive foliage looks mostly 
dead.. Trim them back and bring them in. They think it is spring and start 
growing. My chives are five years old, and I've done this every year. Last 
year was the first I've tried tarragon. It looked great at first, then 
limped along. I'm not sure if it was in a too small pot - I've since read 
that tarragon likes a minimum of a 10" pot.

I use regular bagged potting soil and add extra perlite, usually Peter's 
Professional or Schultz soil. Thyme and rosemary also get extra sand. I 
killed a few of both until I got the soil and watering correct - esp. the 
rosemary. Neither like to dry out too much, but they loath being too wet.

Thyme and mint are in 6" pots, oregano in 8'", everything else is in 10" 
pots. I only use terra cotta inside - for me, plants in plastic seem to 
stay soggy forever, even with draining the saucers religiously.

I fertilize very little until about February. Except for the chives and 
tarragon, everything is fairly dormant until the days get longer. When the 
plants start to grow, I fertilize with 1/2 strength fertilizer. When they 
go back outside, I switch to full strength.

Did I forget anything?  Oh, I grow Fernleaf dill inside from seed. It is 
shorter and slower to bolt than regular dill.

Gloria
Zone6a, 3rd floor condo with balcony


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