Autumn/Winter Jobs in the Herb Garden

by Kate Gilby

Follow a few easy tricks for getting your herbs ready for winter.

Jobs in the herb garden for Autumn, or Fall depending where you are in the world. At this time of year it is really a matter of putting your herb garden to bed for the winter, below are a few ideas to help you tuck your herbs up snugly.

Autumn is harvest time for many herbs, now you get to reap the rewards for all that hard work. See the tips section http://more-than-mint.kategilby.co.uk/tips.shtml for ideas about storing your harvest.

This is the time to plant bare rooted roses...yes they are classed as herbs. Planting them now, allows them chance to get established before the first frost, and gives them a head start on spring planted roses.

And talking of roses, you can still take cuttings to overwinter in pots on a cool, light windowledge. Simply select your chosen cuttings, snip off using sharp secatuers, remove any leaves on the lower part of the stem ,and pop into a pot containing a good potting compost. Check them regularly, and don't let them dry out. By spring they should have rooted, providing you with new rose bushes for very little cost.

If you are planning a new herb garden next year, this is a good time to prepare the ground. Dig over thoroughly, ensuring you remove any weeds. Make sure you get the roots too, or they will be back again. Then rake the area to break up any large lumps of earth, and apply the fertiliser of your choice. If the winter weather is mild, keep an eye open for any determined weeds.

Annual herbs will probably be past their best by now. Dig them up, and pop them on the compost heap. Before you do don't forget to collect any seeds to plant next year. If the roots are very deep, don't try pulling them out. Instead, insert a trowel at the base of the plant and gently work it free.

Inspect pot grown herbs, especially very vigorous ones such as mint and lemon balm. Remove the plant from the pot, you may need to give the bottom a good thwack to loosen it, then examine the root system making sure that it hasn't become twisted and constricted. If it all seems ok put it back in the same pot, with fresh compost. If it does seem to have outgrown the current pot, then just re-pot it in one a size larger.

Shrubby herbs such as lavender and rosemary will benefit from a good pruning now. This will ensure enough light and space for next years growth and prevent the plant becoming woody. Bring any tender herbs indoors about 2 weeks before the first frost is expected. If they are growing in the garden lift them and pot them up. If they are very large, you may need to split them up into smaller plants. Once inside, store them in a warm, sunny place and they will be safe till spring. Ensure they don't dry out. An added bonus is the supply of fresh herbs you will have growing indoors.

On a warm, dry day collect any seed from your herbs, and store it in envelopes in a cool, dark, dry place. One idea is to place the envelopes in a jam jar along with a packet of silica gel, this is often in the box when you buy a pair of shoes. The gel will absorb any moisture and help to keep the seeds fresh.

And finally, take an hour to evaluate this years gardening season. Remind yourself what worked, and what didn't. Make some preliminary plans for next year, you can revise these over the winter, of course. Send off for some seed and plant catalogues to give you ideas to try next year.

Copyright Kate Gilby 2003

Kate Gilby lives in the UK, and is the editor of kate blogs: http://kategilby.co.uk a blog devoted to writing, web and graphic design. She is also the owner of the home business portal, kate-blogs biz: http://kate-blogs.kategilby.co.uk, in addition to the home and garden sites More Than Mint: http://more-than-mint.kategilby.co.uk and Decorating Divas: http://decorating-divas.kategilby.co.uk. Her spare time is devoted to knitting fog and performing random acts of silliness.

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