There may be times when you want to start herbs for your kitchen herb garden from seed.
Sometimes, it’s the only way to grow the herb variety you really want. Either because the herb is offered by a seed company in seed form only. Or it’s a prized variety grown by a relative or friend.
Growing herbs from seed is also economical if you grow more than a couple of plants of a particular herb. For the cost of a nursery plant, you can purchase a packet of seeds and grow dozens of plants for your culinary herb garden.
Even if you add the cost of potting mix for starting seeds indoors, you end up ahead. You can save money on starter pots by using small plastic containers such as yogurt containers, and punching holes in the bottom of them for drainage.
Herbs that are easy to start from seed: basil, chervil, chives, cilantro/coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, salad burnet.
Starting herbs from seed is relatively easy. You can either,
1. Direct sow your herb seeds into your garden, or
2. Sow your herb seeds in small starter pots, then transplant young plants to your garden.
1. Direct sowing your herb seeds.
Plant your herb seeds directly where they will be growing in your culinary herb garden, whether it be a one-herb pot, large pot with multiple herbs, or a garden bed.
Advantages of planting your herb seeds directly where they will grow are:
- It’s less work than transplanting your herb plants down the road
- You can achieve a natural effect in your culinary herb garden by scattering the herb seeds throughout your herb garden — dill, leafy fennel and cilantro are particularly adept herbs for scattering throughout a garden.
- Herbs can be easily incorporated in any culinary vegetable garden. My dad was an avid gardener, and he always grew dill weed amongst the cucumber plants.
- The young roots are not disturbed, so the herb plants that grow should continue to grow and thrive — no transplant shock.
2. Sow your herb seeds in starter pots.
Advantages of planting your herb seeds in starter pots, then transplanting them :
- You can get a head start on the growing season. First tomatoes on the block? How about the first basil on the block to go with those tomatoes!
- Herbs that take long to sprout and grow into sizeable plants can be started indoors and transplanted to your culinary herb garden when the weather warms up.
- You can plant the young herbs where you want them. Tuck a few herbs in-between other plants in a kitchen garden, or arrange them neatly in a more formal garden setting.
- If you are creating a potted arrangement, young herb plants provide instant visual appeal.
There’s nothing like the faith of putting a small seed in the ground, and the satisfaction of raising that small seed into a healthy, thriving plant! Enjoy the journey, and let me know how it goes!
Warm wishes,
Barb – Herb Garden Gal
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