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Re: Can herbs be brought indoors over winter?

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

Gloria -- Oh, what GREAT information!! I was so glad the question got asked,
and am just thrilled with your meaty (uh, herby??) answer. Thanks for
sharing all that. It's a keeper!

Patricia
Zone 7b, West Georgia
>
><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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