Herbs for the Fall Garden

Looking through my garden bag that I received from the Nature Conservatory for a small donation, I found a few tools that may come in handy in the garden and many gloves for my left hand.  There were several plastic bags filled with envelopes  for herbs, vegetables, and sun flowers.  The packets with no expiration date have got to go and the same with packets not purchased for this year.


To plant herbs, it is imperative that the soil be nice and smooth.  It should be free from debris and compost that have yet to turn into black gold.  The seeds are so small and it will be so much easier for them to germinate in a friendly environment.  I do not use fertilizer for the herbs at this time; I let them get established.  Most herbs require plenty of sunshine but they are adaptable.

I am not endorsing any seed company but I like Burpee because their seeds are double bagged.  I found some of my favorite Burpee herbs in the bag:  dill, parsley, and sweet Basil.

Dill (Mammoth):  Burpee recommends that the seeds be sown in clumps when growing for leaf production.  Scatter the seeds onto the soil, cover with 1/4 inch fine soil and tap it down gently.  Seedlings will appear after 10 -21 days.  They still need to be thinned but not as much as when harvesting seeds is the goal, then thin seedlings to grow 24 inches apart.  I consider it a big bonus if I get any blooms that will materialize into seeds.

Basil (Mammoth):  Burpee recommends that the seeds be sown 6 inches apart and covered with a quarter of an inch of soil.  Good luck on seeing the very small black seeds in the soil.  I went ahead and sprinkled the seeds onto the soil and tapped them down gently.  Seedlings will appear after 7 - 14 days.  Basil also requires room to grow.

Parsley (Extra Curly Dwarf):  According to Burpee, the parsley may be sown from early fall to spring.  Apparently parsley is a cold weather crop.  Seedlings will emerge after 14 - 21 days.  Broadcast the seeds and cover them lightly andr tap them down gently.  The seeds are beige/brown and easy to see in the soil.  When seedlings are a few inches high, thin to stand about 6 inches apart.

At this time, I have Rosemary growing in the herb garden.  I trimmed it up a bit and gave it a small amount of common garden fertilizer (6-6-6).

 I also have a clump of oregano that is holding on.  While trimming it, I found it consisted of two plants.  I separated them and planted them a little deeper so that it would not be too easy to pull up.  They also received a small amount of fertilizer.

In addition, I have a Sweet Basil plant that is still producing leaves enough to go with a tomato or even two.  I've been told that I should trim down the basil to about 6 inches above the ground and it is supposed to survive and flourish.

There is still plenty of work to do in the garden and I still have more seeds to sow.  Later.  Have a great weekend.

Thank you for visiting my blog.