Advice for Growing Herbs

kuri

We live in Delhi and are interested in growing some herbs in small pots on our terrace. I know herbs can be bought quite cheaply, but there is just something nice about eating fresh herbs. As I have no experience growing herbs, I'm wondering if anyone who has done this before could give me some advice.
Which herbs are the easiest to grow? Cilantro? Mint? Basil?
Are they seasonal or do they grow all year round?
Where can I buy the seeds from?

Any help is appreciated!

Hal

Many herbs are annuals and they will die after seeding (cilantro and basil). But you want to harvest them before they seed. Basil and cilantro are easy to grow. They need decent soil, regular watering and full sun.

Some of the coarser herbs like sage, oregano, rosemary and mint are perennial and will grow year round. They prefer sunny spots and a bit of neglect - well drained soil and not a lot of water. Mint can take a bit of shade. It's almost a weed -very easy to grow.

Herbs are generally quite easy as long as you have sun.

SitaParityaga

I think mint would be the easiest to grow in the Delhi climate, and used frequently in local cooking, right?

Cilantro and basil are more "delicate"...sensitive to excessive sun, heat, or lack of water. There are many varieties of mint as well, like spearmint, peppermint and bergamot (makes nice tea) Mint is usually pretty tough.

livinhimalayas

Basil grows well (it is of Indian origin after all) so does mint. have tried dill does well in winter time as does fenugreek. all of these require a well drained soil and lots of sun. Cilantro is easy to grow too.

goangoangone

I brought seeds from Englandand I'm having difficulty germinating anything.? I haven't seen seeds here yet of the things I want to grow. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. Could be that the English varieties are not happy here. I did manage to germinate thyme but I let the seedling dry out and lost it. I've got mint,yes a weed, and cutting celery. My parsley and basil won't germinate. I'm trying different ways I've seen on the internet. Next I'm going to try the boiling water on the parsley the day before sowing. At the spice farm, I was told rosemary won't grow here, (Goa), maybe to hot/humid. Chilis are doing well. I've pickled some as well, lovely taste!

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ianscott

I brought back basil seeds from UK - kept the soil damp and in the sun and it sprouted no problems... even managed to get a 'cutting' off the original plant to sprout!

livinhimalayas

Parsley and Basil both grew well here. Infact the parsley was a real hit with the locals, they all wanted to grow it and i ran out of seeds! Basil does well too. You should try these herbs in the winter months if you are trying to grow then in Goa. Here in the mountains, rosemary grows well as do many other veggies including Brussels sprouts. Try to grow your herbs in teh winter months rather than the summer.

goangoangone

It is winter but it still gets up to about 33c during the day. Down to maybe 19 or 20 at night. I'll only grow it at night. I'll keep trying.

chAos

Sure, ggg, go ahead and revolutionize photosynthesis!

I'm actually following this as I've been wanting to try my own. It's neither as cool here as for livin nor as humid as for ggg, so who knows?

Seems humidity wouldn't matter for germination though, would it?
And what is the boiling water with the seeds technique anyway?

livinhimalayas

You'd be better off trying to plant them in a shady part of the house. Once the seedlings are about 4 inches high, you could transplant them. By then they would be strong enough to survive heat and humidity

palerider

Seeds that normally grow in summer won't grow in Winter, no matter where they are.
Parsley seeds don't need to be scarified(boiling water) before they germinate.
Coriander grows all year round, even in really cold climates, as does lettuce and rocket(arugula).
All they need in a pot is some free draining potting mix, and some food and water.
Pulverised cow manure is good , and readily available.
Water should be no problem.
Plants never grow better in pots than they do in open soil(garden).
But you should be able to get a nice crop of herbs at least.
If you can get some 20 litre drums from somewhere you can grow potatoes as well, even carrots and garlic will grow in pots quite easily.
Tomatoes grow readily in pots too, but not up to the amount of fruit from them.

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edwardseco

Basil is prone to snails so its great in pots and does very well for me. There are quite a few varieties. Mint and Rosemary really take over a garden but would be great for pots. Alas, I was given orders by she who must be obeyed to put them in the garden..

waghobha

Hello,

Can anyone tell me where to get good seeds to start a herb garden? I am based in Delhi. Would like to plant rosemary and basil. I have asked in all my local nurseries and come to a deadend.

Hope to get digging soon.

Waghobha

Eastern Mind

Go to a spice store and buy whole coriander. These seeds grow, and its a ton cheaper than any other way to get cilantro seeds. You might try other seeds to, like anise, or cumin. Not sure how they work.

edwardseco

There is perennial Basil as well. Smells the same to me but the better half would not use it so..