A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Overwintering Herbs/Growing Herbs in Pots

Over wintering Herbs

Almost all herbs can be treated in the same way to over winter them indoors. Here are the basic directions:

Perennials:
Herbs that have been grown in the ground during the summer months, can be dug up, use your shovel and cut all the way around the plant, so that you can just lift the root ball out and into a pot lined with fresh potting soil. Make sure you choose a large enough pot to accommodate the root system. Next move the pot to a shaded area or if it is already growing in a pot move it to a shaded area, You do this is the spring and the fall when moving herbs, leave the pot in a shady spot for at least a week before moving it to its new home, This helps them adjust to the change in light from bright to moderate and vice versa.

Annuals:
The best for winter growing are started from seed in the fall. Grow them in 3-4" pots so they have plenty of room to grow all winter.

Light:
Indoor herbs will need plenty of light each day for strong, vigorous growth. A sunny window is fine, just keep in mind, that you will need to keep the pots back away from the cold windows and drafts. Or better yet, place under fluorescent light fixtures. Using a mixture of cool white bulbs and red or blue lights designed for plants will imitate sunlight perfect. Keep your plant tops 6-8" away from the lights.

Temperature:
Most herbs will do fine with daytime temps of 60-70 degrees and cooler temps at night- 50-65 degrees. They will do fine also when keep at a constant temp day and night. Annuals like to be kept warmer, while perennials & biennials do better if kept cooler.

Moisture:
Water thoroughly; allow soil to dry a little before watering again. DON'T OVER WATER; this is the cause of death of many house plants.

The success of over wintering your perennial herbs outdoors in the garden depends on your climate. Hardy perennials like Sage will survive a cold winter in perfect condition. Less hardy herbs are lavender & oregano, which may need protection (mulch) during a cold winter.

Thanks Comfrey that helps alot.

Thanks Comfrey...that answered some questions that i had too

Do you think it would work to leave some in the garden over winter and use a cloche like a large pickle jar or something? Or would just mulch be better?

Well it depends on which herbs you are talking about, most hardy perennials will do fine with mulch, But a cloche or pickle jar would work like a mini greenhouse, but too much moisture could build up and cause rot or alot of sun could also trick your plant into thinking it is spring, not to mention it would need some air flow. plants like Sage, mulch is the best choice, and of course it depends on the climate where you live, here in Arkansas I can leave sage in a plastic nursery pot outside year around without any added protection and it thrives and stays green year around, but in colder areas in the winter it would probable kill it, since it would freeze the entire pot of dirt. If you decide to try using a pickle jar, let us know how it works for you.

It's probably going to be a lesson in futility, but I'm going to try to hold onto my lavender and eucalyptus with some sort of covering. I have basil and stevia in pots that I will bring inside. The thymes (3 different ones), oregano and lemon balm have all come back in the spring for my neighbor so hopefully mine will too.

The lavender should come back as it is a perennial and grows best in zones 5-8.

Lemon Balm is also a perennial and grows best in zones 4-9, But it also self seeds itself, so it most definitely will come back.

The eucalyptus probable will not over winter in your area...best zones are 8-10

Oregano is also a perennial and grows best in zones 5-9, it also will self seed itself so it should come back also.

Basil is an annual, it will not survive the winter outdoors. Best growing zones are 4-10 and it thrives in heat and full sun.

Wormwood is a hardy perennial and it will survive the winter. Grows best in zones 4-6 full sun to partial shade.

(Garden) Thyme is a hardy perennial and grows best in zones 5-9 in full sun to partial shade.

Amy, what do you mean by eucalyptus? Like a dwarf tree?

I got a eucalyptus "plant" in a variety pack of herbs. Everything I can find about it describes it as a tree. It is about 18" high now and has stems that look just like the pieces you buy in a craft store. If I understand correctly, if it can survive the first two winters, it should be able to continue indefinitely. ??? I guess I'll find out. Do you have any in So. Cal.? I would guess it would do just fine there.

I think you must have the mini-eucalyptus I have. It's grown from a seed I bought from Johnny's. Actually the tree is 4 seeds planted in a large pot. It's about 3 feet tall now, and a beautiful, fragrant silver green.
Mine lives outdoors year 'round, but yours, I can't imagine that it can survive a winter. Can it overwinter in a sunny window area through your winter?
The eucalypts we have here grow wild but are not native to California. They are massive and are everywhere in open areas.
Homeowners here know NOT to plant near a structure as the roots cause damage. And the wood is a great fire hazard.
Can you e-mail Johnny's and ask about winter care?
They have been really helpful with my occasional questions.

Hmmm...One thing I read said that once they were planted that they don't like to be moved so I don't think I can bring it in. Besides, I am running out of sunny windows. I have so many plants in the house! What is Johnny's? I'm going to put a pickle jar over it for the winter, see above. My thesis is that it will be like a little greenhouse, right? I've never tried this with anything else so I don't know how it will go. If it doesn't make it, I'll just have to consider it an anual if I ever get another one.