How do I prune or deadhead? Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

Higgs Boson wrote:

How do I prune or deadhead? Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! By the time I remember, I'm through with
the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to neighbors, but
it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

I just let mine go to seed, the bees love 'em.
--
signature goes here

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:09 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

How do I prune or deadhead? Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia


Google is your friend -- search for each herb by name with such terms
as "harvesting sage/thyme/etc," "storing sage/thyme/etc." . . .

I used scrap 1X2 lumber and window screen to build several 2 X 4 ft
drying racks.

Wife uses the drying racks to dry apples -- she slices the apples,
spreads the slices on the screens, then we suspend the racks from the
ceiling joists in the garden shed for several days until the apples
are dried. We use the dried apples in the winter for pies.

Use the same racks to dry herbs.

-- Sage, thyme, oregano, and basil: Cut a bunch of each then strip
the green leaves off the stems onto the drying screens. Hang the
screens in the storage shed ceiling or another warm, dry place. After
2-3 weeks, use a small blade-type coffee grinder to grind the dried
leaves -- store in dark-coloerd glass bottles and use in cooking.

-- Parsley and basil: Cut stems with the leaves on. Wash, pat dry,
stuff into freezer bags, freeze. When you need parsley or basil in a
recipe, pull out what ever amount you need and chop/grind/mince while
it's still frozen.

-- mint: Make mint juleps.

On Sep 11, 1:56*pm, Captain America wrote:
On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:09 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson



wrote:
How do I prune or deadhead? *Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, *mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! * By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

Google is your friend -- search for each herb by name with such terms
as "harvesting sage/thyme/etc," "storing sage/thyme/etc." . . .

I used scrap 1X2 lumber and window screen to build several 2 X 4 ft
drying racks.

Wife uses the drying racks to dry apples -- she slices the apples,
spreads the slices on the screens, then we suspend the racks from the
ceiling joists in the garden shed for several days until the apples
are dried. *We use the dried apples in the winter for pies.

Use the same racks to dry herbs. *

-- Sage, thyme, oregano, and basil: *Cut a bunch of each then strip
the green leaves off the stems onto the drying screens. *Hang the
screens in the storage shed ceiling or another warm, dry place. *After
2-3 weeks, use a small blade-type coffee grinder to grind the dried
leaves -- store in dark-coloerd glass bottles and use in cooking.

-- Parsley and basil: *Cut stems with the leaves on. *Wash, pat dry,
stuff into freezer bags, freeze. *When you need parsley or basil in a
recipe, pull out what ever amount you need and chop/grind/mince while
it's still frozen.

-- mint: *Make mint juleps.

Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

TIA

Hypatia

Higgs Boson wrote:
Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

TIA

Hypatia

It isn't important, most people just let them go.

David

On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:33:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

TIA

Hypatia

It isn't important, most people just let them go.

David

Although depending on your location and if the plants are in the
ground or in pots, oregano can be invasive, along with mint.

Kate in TN

On 9/11/2009 1:11 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
How do I prune or deadhead? Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

I have all of these (except parsley) and more (sweet bay, rosemary,
tarragon, dill). The rosemary is in the ground; it's about 30 years old
and taller than I am. All the others are in 12-inch flower pots.

Basil and dill are annuals. They will die with the first frost if not
before. There is no point in trimming them. My dill is long gone while
we still have temperatures in the 90s and 100s, but I harvested a good
crop. Even if you don't use it, pick the flower buds from the basil.
It will prolong its life. Also the buds tend to be bitter and detract
from the flavor of the leaves.

Parsley is a biennial. It dies at the end of its second year. Other
than that, I know nothing about it.

Sage can be trimmed, but be very careful. You must leave new shoots
already growing below each cut. Otherwise the cut stem will die back to
its base.

I groom my thyme to keep it looking nice. But it doesn't really require
trimming.

I trim the mint to keep it from reaching the ground. Mint can be very
invasive.

I shear the flower buds from the oregano. Otherwise, it will drop
seeds. Oregano is almost as invasive as mint.

The tarragon dies down each winter. Then I cut away all the dead
growth. In the late winter or early spring, it resprouts from the roots.

In the ground, sweet bay can become a large shrub or a small tree. With
it growing in a flower pot, I constantly trim it so that it does not
outgrow the ability of its confined roots to keep it alive. I try to
remove old growth and keep new shoots. In a nearby public garden, three
sweet bay growing in the ground are sheared into formal cylinders.

Rosemary has the same pruning problem as sage: If you don't leave green
growth below the cut, the branch will die. Because the branches on my
rosemary are beautifully twisted and gnarled, I remove lower growth to
expose the branches.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:09 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

How do I prune or deadhead? Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

You can prune most of these at anytime, although if looking well I'd
leave them alone. Of those mentioned I only prune the mint. Basil
dies at first frost, parsely bolts to seed the second year. Maybe you
need to plant herbs closer to the kitchen or pots on the patio/deck so
you use them more.

On 9/11/2009 7:36 PM, Balvenieman wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote:

In the ground, sweet bay can become a large shrub or a small tree. With
it growing in a flower pot, I constantly trim it so that it does not
outgrow the ability of its confined roots to keep it alive. I try to
remove old growth and keep new shoots. In a nearby public garden, three
sweet bay growing in the ground are sheared into formal cylinders.
Is this Laurus nobilis, AKA "Bay Laurel", the culinary "bay leaf"?
I ask because here in FL, AWA other Gulf coast states, we have a
wetlands dweller commonly known as "sweet bay" that is a variety of
Magnolia. I have a container-grown L. nobilis specimen that is just
ending its first full season in this locale, USDA zone 9b and humid. I
overwintered it indoors last year because, well, it was just a baby, you
know; do you know whether that's necessary? What are the lowest temps to
which yours are exposed?

Yes, I meant Laurus nobilis. It should be hardy to 28F.

Your sweet bay magnolia is Magnolia virginiana (aka M. glauca).

This is why plants sold in inter-state commerce are supposed to be
labeled with their botanical names.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Balvenieman wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote:

In the ground, sweet bay can become a large shrub or a small tree. With
it growing in a flower pot, I constantly trim it so that it does not
outgrow the ability of its confined roots to keep it alive. I try to
remove old growth and keep new shoots. In a nearby public garden, three
sweet bay growing in the ground are sheared into formal cylinders.
Is this Laurus nobilis, AKA "Bay Laurel", the culinary "bay leaf"?
I ask because here in FL, AWA other Gulf coast states, we have a
wetlands dweller commonly known as "sweet bay" that is a variety of
Magnolia. I have a container-grown L. nobilis specimen that is just
ending its first full season in this locale, USDA zone 9b and humid. I
overwintered it indoors last year because, well, it was just a baby, you
know; do you know whether that's necessary? What are the lowest temps to
which yours are exposed?

I have a ten-year old L. nobilis growing in my herb garden that is about
five-feet tall. I live in SW Louisiana, USDA zone 9a. It has not frozen
back yet.

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:18:09 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

On Sep 11, 1:56*pm, Captain America wrote:
On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:09 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson



wrote:
How do I prune or deadhead? *Herbs

I planted sage, thyme, parsley, basil, *mint, oregano.

And hardly ever use them!! * By the time I remember, I'm
through with the tomato sandwich, e.g.

How much can I, should I, prune to stop these herbs
from roaring away?

I don't want them to go to seed, so will offer some to
neighbors, but it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Your advice appreciated.

Hypatia

Google is your friend -- search for each herb by name with such terms
as "harvesting sage/thyme/etc," "storing sage/thyme/etc." . . .

I used scrap 1X2 lumber and window screen to build several 2 X 4 ft
drying racks.

Wife uses the drying racks to dry apples -- she slices the apples,
spreads the slices on the screens, then we suspend the racks from the
ceiling joists in the garden shed for several days until the apples
are dried. *We use the dried apples in the winter for pies.

Use the same racks to dry herbs. *

-- Sage, thyme, oregano, and basil: *Cut a bunch of each then strip
the green leaves off the stems onto the drying screens. *Hang the
screens in the storage shed ceiling or another warm, dry place. *After
2-3 weeks, use a small blade-type coffee grinder to grind the dried
leaves -- store in dark-coloerd glass bottles and use in cooking.

-- Parsley and basil: *Cut stems with the leaves on. *Wash, pat dry,
stuff into freezer bags, freeze. *When you need parsley or basil in a
recipe, pull out what ever amount you need and chop/grind/mince while
it's still frozen.

-- mint: *Make mint juleps.

Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

TIA

Hypatia


I cut my herbs throughout the growing season either for immediate use
or for drying. So, I guess you could say that I prune and deadhead
mine all the time.

On the other hand, I went through two growing seasons a few years ago
when I was too busy to spend much time on the garden and pretty much
let the herbs go. Didn't seem to hurt them.

Herbs generally don't take much fussing over -- they tolerate a wide
range of conditions that would be neglect for other plants.

Prune/deadhead them if you have time, if not, don't worry about it.

wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:33:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

TIA

Hypatia

It isn't important, most people just let them go.

David

Although depending on your location and if the plants are in the
ground or in pots, oregano can be invasive, along with mint.

Kate in TN

If they escape mow them and you SHOULD inhale.

David

On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:24:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:33:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

Doesn't much matter with perennial herbs, with those the flowers are
edible. Only your basil (an annual) needs deadheading, pinch off
those flowers but they are very edible too. Your perenials will come
back each year. Parsley is a bienniel, but will be too bitter for
culinary use its second year. You really shouldn't be thinking about
drying, since you are growing your own plants it's best if you freeze
them.

On Sep 12, 5:46*pm, brooklyn1 wrote:
On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:24:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"

wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:33:43 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Thanks, folks, for those handy suggestions.

But I still need an answer to pruning/deadheading plants, rather
than drying them.

Doesn't much matter with perennial herbs, with those the flowers are
edible. *Only yourbasil(an annual) needs deadheading, pinch off
those flowers but they are very edible too. *Your perenials will come
back each year. *Parsley is a bienniel, but will be too bitter for
culinary use its second year. *You really shouldn't be thinking about
drying, since you are growing your own plants it's best if you freeze
them.

Any special tips on freezing herbs effectively? I've heard some folks
get them wet first.