Hello everyone! I'm not a complete newb to gardening... but I am a complete newb to container gardening on patios since I don't currently have a yard
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Look for herbs whose origins are in the Mediterranean or which are otherwise known to be able to handle heat and aridity. And "thin" soil, and appreciate that most of those herbs actually do better in a "thin" soil.
They absolutely MUST have excellent---not merely good, but excellent---drainage.
I'd like to observe, though, that usually herbs are grown "on purpose" or "for a purpose." Just as home vegetable gardeners usually are growing veggies for home consumption, you probably aren't growing herbs just for the challenge or for bragging rights. The home herb grower grows an herb to cook with, or to make herbal teas, or to add to herbal soaps, or for aromatherapy, or for potpourri, or something, but almost always with a specific end point in mind
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Thanks for the tips! Yeah, basil will not grow outside here. But it does do wonderfully in the kitchen window if I can keep the cats away from it.
Yes, the main reason I want to grow herbs is to use them.
My Parents, who have land, grow peppers and pumpkins and all sorts of wonderful things. And my Mother's rosemary seems to absolutely THRIVE here in Nevada, so I think I'll give that a try first along with some sage and maybe even try my hand at growing some French tarragon (my mom has some and it's growing beautifully, but she has a much greener thumb than mine due to years of experience).
If you try French Tarragon (one of my favorites!) keep in mind that tarragon needs one and a half to two times the root room as there is green on top. Put it in a pot that is larger than you would use for a comparable size herb of another variety.
Papalo is a nice one. There's a whole set of plants in the same genus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porophyllum. Not all are culinary herbs. I'm only familiar with two: Porophyllum linaria, which the people at the farmer's market called "pepicha", and http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6472-papalo.aspx, which I grow every year from seed. It seems to stay green and happy even when we have no rain. It does get tall - about 4 feet for me. I live in Wisconsin; you're closer to its native habitat than I am. It is listed as very heat tolerant. Both have a strong cilantro-like flavor.
You might want to check out John Kohler on you tube, his channel is growingyourgreens.com. He lived in Las Vegas for a while and has a lot of videos on growing in containers and raised beds. Here is one with recommendations (although he includes basil, you would probably need a shady area for that). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWK7_Qm_p8g
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Look for herbs whose origins are in the Mediterranean or which are otherwise known to be able to handle heat and aridity. And "thin" soil, and appreciate that most of those herbs actually do better in a "thin" soil.
They absolutely MUST have excellent---not merely good, but excellent---drainage.
I'd like to observe, though, that usually herbs are grown "on purpose" or "for a purpose." Just as home vegetable gardeners usually are growing veggies for home consumption, you probably aren't growing herbs just for the challenge or for bragging rights.
The home herb grower grows an herb to cook with, or to make herbal teas, or to add to herbal soaps, or for aromatherapy, or for potpourri, or something, but almost always with a specific end point in mind ( ... )
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Yes, the main reason I want to grow herbs is to use them.
My Parents, who have land, grow peppers and pumpkins and all sorts of wonderful things. And my Mother's rosemary seems to absolutely THRIVE here in Nevada, so I think I'll give that a try first along with some sage and maybe even try my hand at growing some French tarragon (my mom has some and it's growing beautifully, but she has a much greener thumb than mine due to years of experience).
And thank you, I'll definitely look into SIPs.
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I'm only familiar with two: Porophyllum linaria, which the people at the farmer's market called "pepicha", and http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6472-papalo.aspx, which I grow every year from seed. It seems to stay green and happy even when we have no rain. It does get tall - about 4 feet for me.
I live in Wisconsin; you're closer to its native habitat than I am. It is listed as very heat tolerant.
Both have a strong cilantro-like flavor.
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