just a reminder that these three herbs can be planted in spring.
all three are sensational value-for-money. mine are all three years old and have grown continuously, as neat ground covers, in amongst a decorative garden.
i would have picked sprigs from each of them 150 times in those three years so each plant is probably worth $450 to me if i had bought their sprigs from a shop.
some of the benefits
- very drought tolerant – need only a little fertiliser
- hardly any maintenance except weeding
- highly beneficial to health – originally they were human medicines in the medieval times
- extremely aromatic aroma when cooked in the kitchen
- always fresh – no waste compared to buying them
- attractive, unobtrusive ground cover that take hardly any space and can be grown in pots

so remember OREGANO, MARJORAM & THYME – must haves.

They’d go good in my front yard in the friendship garden????

Lucky1 said:

They’d go good in my front yard in the friendship garden????

yeh – they like sun even though they grow straight through winter. buy a single plant of each and remember to pick them often – really are sensational tasty additions to any meal.

pepe said:

Lucky1 said:

They’d go good in my front yard in the friendship garden????

yeh – they like sun even though they grow straight through winter. buy a single plant of each and remember to pick them often – really are sensational tasty additions to any meal.

done…… Your a real treat to have on this forum.

Thanks for that info Pepe :)
I also want to grow sage, rosemary, basil and oregano, I have a book on them , somewhere..
If you have any info on these ones I would appreciate it :)
I have grown basil before but it went wild , I wasn’t sure how to keep it good.

Happy Potter said:

Thanks for that info Pepe :)
I also want to grow sage, rosemary, basil and oregano, I have a book on them , somewhere..
If you have any info on these ones I would appreciate it :)
I have grown basil before but it went wild , I wasn’t sure how to keep it good.

sage likes to be very well drained. I have had best success in an old wicker basket! Rosemary is touch as as long as it doesn’t get wet feet.
Basil is really an annual in Melbourne as it doesn’t cope with the cold. I make new sowings each spring. It likes to be cut regularly so if you hae mroe than you need then you can make pesto and freeze it or dry for winter use.

Happy Potter said:

Thanks for that info Pepe :)
I also want to grow sage, rosemary, basil and oregano, I have a book on them , somewhere..
If you have any info on these ones I would appreciate it :)
I have grown basil before but it went wild , I wasn’t sure how to keep it good.

sage – its the original member of the salvia family and is like the three i mentioned – a perenial (sp?).
its conditions are exactly like those of marjoram, oregano and thyme. rosemary is a tough bush – likes drainage, not much water. rosemary is almost the sister of lavender. they all like summer sun.

sweet basil is an annual. buy a packet of basil seed and plant in seed raising mix now, when the frosts have gone plant the seedlings out. its a small bush and very hardy but likes it hot – full sun. it won’t go to seed (if you plant it now) until autumn. frost will kill it.

I remember when I had basil growing in the garden & Nibbles was alive. ALWAYS knew when he had been eating the basil, as the smell was tickling our noses when we went outside.:D

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?

(for someone who doesn’t like squishing them – maybe chilli spray or something like that?)

Have already lost two basils, and a score of other herbs look like they are on their last legs :(

bon008 said:

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?

(for someone who doesn’t like squishing them – maybe chilli spray or something like that?)

Have already lost two basils, and a score of other herbs look like they are on their last legs :(

Are you sure it is caterpillars eating your herbs?? Just curious because we had a problem with our basil too, but it was tiny slugs and snails feasting on the leaves over night!! We use the animal and bird friendly pellets by Multicrop – they are excellent.

ironmaid said:

bon008 said:

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?

(for someone who doesn’t like squishing them – maybe chilli spray or something like that?)

Have already lost two basils, and a score of other herbs look like they are on their last legs :(

Are you sure it is caterpillars eating your herbs?? Just curious because we had a problem with our basil too, but it was tiny slugs and snails feasting on the leaves over night!! We use the animal and bird friendly pellets by Multicrop – they are excellent.

Probably both! I know there are heaps of baby slugs and snails out there at the moment (not to mention INSIDE my house), but it’s the caterpillars I always see on the herbs, munching away any time of the day or night. I have a beer trap in the herb patch, but it mostly catches slaters and millipedes – only the occasional slug/snail/caterpillar. Experimenting with Guinness at the mo as OH thought snails might prefer it to other beer :)

Maybe I should try some pellets… I’ll have a look next time I’m at Bunnings, thanks :)

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?
—————————-
Dipel – buy it in s/markets. used against all caterpillars partic. cabbage white moth.
it causes the ‘pillar to lose its appetite. and is recommended by all organic groups because it affects nothing else in the ecosystem at all.

pepe said:

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?
—————————-
Dipel – buy it in s/markets. used against all caterpillars partic. cabbage white moth.
it causes the ‘pillar to lose its appetite. and is recommended by all organic groups because it affects nothing else in the ecosystem at all.

Oooh, brilliant, thanks pepe!

Maybe I will do a Gardeners’ Direct order – then I can get Dipel for the ‘pilars and try out some pellets for the slugs/snails as well…

bon008 said:

pepe said:

Can anyone recommend something to fight back against caterpillars?
—————————-
Dipel – buy it in s/markets. used against all caterpillars partic. cabbage white moth.
it causes the ‘pillar to lose its appetite. and is recommended by all organic groups because it affects nothing else in the ecosystem at all.

Oooh, brilliant, thanks pepe!

Maybe I will do a Gardeners’ Direct order – then I can get Dipel for the ‘pilars and try out some pellets for the slugs/snails as well…

good – dipel is available from h/ware stores and big w as well as B.
Basil is pretty hardy but it might be a bit cold in perth at present? are you growing them under plastic?

and if you only have room for one herb out of the three….thyme wins every time. it’s the best all rounder that can be added to most dishes. don’t be afraid to add a whole bunch into soups, casseroles, and roasts…as the flavor mellows dramatically during cooking.

pepe said:

good – dipel is available from h/ware stores and big w as well as B.
Basil is pretty hardy but it might be a bit cold in perth at present? are you growing them under plastic?

Nope.. in a herb patch with a wall on one side, and bales of hay on the other three sides. They were looking pretty good until the caterpillars ate EVERY single blinking leaf off em! Not sure if they sticks will re-shoot if I get rid of the caterpillars and slugs??

Planning to restock the herb patch in spring anyway – unless everything comes back to life on its own :)

Nope.. in a herb patch with a wall on one side, and bales of hay on the other three sides. They were looking pretty good until the caterpillars ate EVERY single blinking leaf off em! Not sure if they sticks will re-shoot if I get rid of the caterpillars and slugs??

Planning to restock the herb patch in spring anyway – unless everything comes back to life on its own :———-
all good.
…and if you’ve got a camera that warm area setup would be worth a look.

pepe said:

…and if you’ve got a camera that warm area setup would be worth a look.

Actually the last thing I did before I got sick and left the forum, was take photos of my brand new herb patch that I was going to proudly show you all!!

It looks a bit scrappier now but I still have the old photos on my phone – I’ll put them on Photobucket tonight and post them on here.

The area was originally a herb patch when we moved in – then it all died off over summer, and later we put the hay bales in to stop the sand constantly flowing out onto the paving.

P.S.

Here is the herb patch as it was when we moved in.. between summer and the dog, it didn’t stay this way for long grin

Now it has hay bales as walls on three sides, that allowed us to build up the sand with manure and other goodies. I’ll post a picture later tonight :) It doesn’t get much sun though – that big white wall is sort of North-East, so blocks a lot.

Pepe, here’s the herb patch complete with hay bales.. before all the pests got stuck in :) The hay bales are all broken down and sprouting now, so when I get the vegie beds set up I will put the old hay in there and get some new bales.

Whoops.. didn’t realise they’d be that big, sorry :)

It doesn’t get much sun though – that big white wall is sort of North-East, so blocks a lot.
———-
nice photo – good looking garden – and if that wall is blocking the northeast sun – a very interesting study in microclimate creation.

bon008 said:

Pepe, here’s the herb patch complete with hay bales.. before all the pests got stuck in :) The hay bales are all broken down and sprouting now, so when I get the vegie beds set up I will put the old hay in there and get some new bales.

jerry colby-williams is doing something like that – dividing this patch into a series of low walled gardens using bales.
very interesting and thanks.

pepe said:

jerry colby-williams is doing something like that – dividing this patch into a series of low walled gardens using bales.
very interesting and thanks.

No worries :) For me it was only about having room to build up the soil away from the paving, and having a barrier so the dog knows not to go in there – any micro-climate stuff is a bonus :) Bales just appealed because they’re so easy!

most herbs like a good amount of sunshine. if the wall isn’t providing enough bounced light to prevent rank growth, then that may be why the plants were susceptible to a cleanup by mother nature, and may need to be moved. you’ll have to be the judge of that. once it warms up a bit, herbs love their seasol, and grow like mad.
rosemary, lovage, sorrel, fennel (is growing great guns through winter here), and mints can thrive in reduced light conditions.

aquarium said:

most herbs like a good amount of sunshine. if the wall isn’t providing enough bounced light to prevent rank growth, then that may be why the plants were susceptible to a cleanup by mother nature, and may need to be moved. you’ll have to be the judge of that. once it warms up a bit, herbs love their seasol, and grow like mad.
rosemary, lovage, sorrel, fennel (is growing great guns through winter here), and mints can thrive in reduced light conditions.

Thanks aquarium, I thought that might be on of the reasons they weren’t thriving, but I thought I’d trust the last owners’ judgement as she grew her herbs there! I’ve been thinking about whether I can use mirrors to get more sunshine in there, lke The Painted Fish that was on GA a few weeks ago.

looks good bon.

I’m a big fan of lemon thyme, it looks just as pretty as thyme but has an amazing flavour, absolutely delicious with parsley in a herb dip.

Bon, I’m racking my brains trying to figure out which bit of your yard that herb patch is in! Is that the wall opposite the laundry on the other side of your sitting area?

hortfurball said:

I’m a big fan of lemon thyme, it looks just as pretty as thyme but has an amazing flavour, absolutely delicious with parsley in a herb dip.

Bon, I’m racking my brains trying to figure out which bit of your yard that herb patch is in! Is that the wall opposite the laundry on the other side of your sitting area?

Sure is :)

I’ve just harvested what might be the last of my coriander for the winter, but am looking hopefully at all the seed heads…

How can I collect them? What do they look like when ready to collect? Do I buy “craft bags” from Crazy Clarke, like Lucky did?

Dinetta said:

I’ve just harvested what might be the last of my coriander for the winter, but am looking hopefully at all the seed heads… How can I collect them? What do they look like when ready to collect? Do I buy “craft bags” from Crazy Clarke, like Lucky did?

coriander seed are eaten as well as resown. i would wrap a plastic bag around the seed heads when they look as tho’ they are beginning to dry out.
this is a fairly old topic – but timely. my advice for those in the temperate regions is to plant coriander, tarragon and dill in autumn – i find they go straight to seed when planted in spring. good thyme for planting the topic heading tho’.

pepe said:

my advice for those in the temperate regions is to plant coriander, tarragon and dill in autumn – i find they go straight to seed when planted in spring. good thyme for planting the topic heading tho’.

The thyme-ing was uncanny…

So you don’t hold out much hope for dill in the summer up here? Fashionasta grew it all year round in TownTown: it thrived on reflected sunlight on the third level of a uni college…

So you don’t hold out much hope for dill in the summer up here? Fashionasta grew it all year round in TownTown: it thrived on reflected sunlight on the third level of a uni college…
—————-
take her advice – i was specifically addressing southerners.
they make coriander, dill and tarragon seedling punnets available in spring down here – so naturally i bought them – three times in the past thirty years – and each time they grew to 300mm high and went to seed.

I think the trick was lots of reflected sunlight but no heat from the ground…

thyme, oregano (marjoram?) and a nice looking hedge of curly leaf parsley

pepe said:

thyme, oregano (marjoram?) and a nice looking hedge of curly leaf parsley

What a lovely crop of parsley, puts my 4 – 6 plants to shame!

It’s an idea tho, using a herb as a border in the garden…think think think…

Thinking about using marigolds as a partition between the tomatoes and the corn/3 sisters …apparently tomatoes and corn don’t like each other or summink…

However, what I really came here for was to say that I am currently harvesting my coriander seeds…I read somewhere that the coriander leaves have one name but the coriander name should be reserved for their seeds…

Dinetta said:

Thinking about using marigolds as a partition between the tomatoes and the corn/3 sisters …apparently tomatoes and corn don’t like each other or summink…

However, what I really came here for was to say that I am currently harvesting my coriander seeds…I read somewhere that the coriander leaves have one name but the coriander name should be reserved for their seeds…

cilantro: that’s the other name of coriander, particularly in the Americas (both north and south?)

Dinetta said:

Thinking about using marigolds as a partition between the tomatoes and the corn/3 sisters …apparently tomatoes and corn don’t like each other or summink…

However, what I really came here for was to say that I am currently harvesting my coriander seeds…I read somewhere that the coriander leaves have one name but the coriander name should be reserved for their seeds…

In the USA they call coriander…Cilantro. Maybe that’s what you mean.

Dinetta said:

Dinetta said:

Thinking about using marigolds as a partition between the tomatoes and the corn/3 sisters …apparently tomatoes and corn don’t like each other or summink…

However, what I really came here for was to say that I am currently harvesting my coriander seeds…I read somewhere that the coriander leaves have one name but the coriander name should be reserved for their seeds…

cilantro: that’s the other name of coriander, particularly in the Americas (both north and south?)

I know when I’m not needed. LOL.

pomolo said:

Dinetta said:

However, what I really came here for was to say that I am currently harvesting my coriander seeds…I read somewhere that the coriander leaves have one name but the coriander name should be reserved for their seeds…

cilantro: that’s the other name of coriander, particularly in the Americas (both north and south?)

I know when I’m not needed. LOL.

We must have hit the button at the same time, and then ALL my Telstra connections died (at home)…they are going to book us in to check this out…in the meantime we communicate via mobile…I do have a mobile broadband but it’s rather expensive…