Welcome to Part 5 of my Herb Growing Series
In this part I've transplanted the Oregano, Cilantro and Basil into larger pots so I'll let you check how they're coming along and I'm ready to plant a few new varieties in their places. With the new varieties I've decided on Dill, Lavender and Mint. If you missed any of the previous posts in this series you can view them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
Fernleaf Dill
A dwarf variety of dill which only grows to 45-60cm (18"-24").
Dill leaves are used in condiments, sauces, soups, stews, or add them to the cooking water when you boil potatoes or other veggies. Dill seeds are used whole or crushed, and are often seen in bread, soups or vegetable dishes. And of course they are widely used to make dill vinegar for pickling.
Dill is a good source of for following vitamins and nutrients: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Niacin, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper and Manganese
The seeds are similar to the coriander where the seeds husk contains two seeds each. They should be planted about 7mm(1/4") in depth and am reading they should be thinned out to about 30cm(12") apart once they reach a height of 5cm(2") tall.
I'll likely keep mine as is until I'm ready to transplant them. You need to be careful if you let them get too large before you transplant or thin them because their root can get tangled and it can be difficult to not damage the plant at these later stages.
Lavender
Lavender is in the same family as mint and when it flowers it produces nice purple buds which have a pleasant aroma. It's mainly grown for its production of essential oils. It can also be used as a spice in teas, salads, pastas, dressings and desserts.
These are fairly small seeds so i generally just sprinkle them on surface of the soil and not plant them under, they can sometimes be buried just by watering them.
Mint
Mint has many varieties but I am unsure of this exact one. My best guess is spearmint or peppermint. Mint contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and iron.
Mint is widely used in teas but can also be used for other beverages or as a spice in foods and desserts. Catnip is also in the same family as mint and most varieties of mint have the same effect on cats.
As you can see these seeds are very small and easy to loose track of. These are another one i would just sprinkle over the top and let the watering take them into the soil. It's a fast spreading plant so having it contained is a good idea.
Mint, Lavender, Dill are the order you see the seeds from left to right. I use a toothpick in the picture for size comparison.
Here they are all planted and watered. Now i typically put plastic wrap over them to help incubate them and prevent the soil from drying out.
6 Weeks
Rosemary
Looks like we have a few more plants continuing to come up even after 6 weeks. We did have one casualty of the second largest plant so it's nice to see 2 more little ones spring up to replace it.
Cilantro
Basil
Oregano
As you may have noticed I split the three varieties that i transplanted into two pots each. I have a couple friends that may take claim to some of the ones I've grown out. If not I will keep one of each and give the others to family.
Stay tuned to my blog for the next update. Take care all. ✌