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244 HERBS FOR THE HOME

Yearly Calenda
This calendar assumes that the herb garden is situated in an area where the average date of

the major frost in spring is April 1st and an average date for the first frost is October
last

20th, Gardeners with different frost dates can adjust this calendar accordingly. But as any
gardener knows, you cannot be precise. Each year is different, wetter, windier, hotter, drier,
colder. So use this calendar as a general guide. 1

January February Cultivation March

Seed with Heat
Borage, dill, parsley. Spring is in the air,
This is one of the quietest As the days begin to
months. Keep an eye on the lengthen, and if the weather everything is Go. Even with a
Seed in Gold Greenhouse cold March it is still worth
degrees of frost and protect is not too unpleasant, this is
Chervil. getting started, even if the
tender herbs with an extra a good time to have the final
layer of agricultural fleece or tidy-up before the busy worst comes to the worst and
Division the seed has to be sown
mulch if necessary. With season starts. If you want to
Herbaceous perennial herbs again in April. Gradually
(one hopes) everything get an early start in the
can be divided now, as long uncover tender plants
quiet, this is a good time to garden and you have
as they are not too frozen outside and look for hopeful
plan any additions or prepared a site the previous
changes to the herb garden autumn, cover the soil now and are given added signs of life.
— like constructing new with black plastic. It will
protection after replanting.
Chives, lemon balm, pot
paths, steps, arches, etc. It is warm up the soil and force Fresh Herbs Available
marjoram, mints, oregano, Angelica,lemon balm, bay,
also the time to order seeds any weeds. |

broad leafed sorrel, chives, fennel, hyssop, mint,

for spring sowing.
tarragon. parsley, peppermint,
Fresh Herbs Available
Fresh Herbs Available With a little bit of protection pennyroyal, rue, sage,
Containers savory, sorrel, thyme.
With a little bit of protection in the garden, bay, hyssop,
As the containers have been
in the garden, bay, hyssop, rosemary, sage, winter
brought in for the winter, Cultivation
rosemary, sage, winter savory, thyme, lemon thyme,
savory, thyme, lemon thyme, chervil, parsley.
new life may be starting. Seed with Heat
Dust off, and slowly start Borage, fennel, coriander,
chervil, parsley. Chives start to come up if
watering. Not too much. sweet marjoram, rue, and
they are under protection,
basil - toward the end of the
Cultivation and mint can be available if

Seed with Heat forced.

Garden month.
Parsley.
Check that any dead or
decaying herbaceous growth Seed in Cold Greenhouse
is not damaging plants. Chervil, chives, dill, lemon
Seed Outside in the Garden
Check for wind and snow balm, lovage, parsley, sage,
Ifnot sown in the autumn, Hardy vervain needs no
protection from winter frosts damage. summer savory, sorrel.
sow sweet cicely, sweet
woodruff, cowslip, to enable
Seed Outside in the Garden
a period of stratification.
Chervil, chives, parsley i

Force in Boxes in the

(cover with cloches)

Greenhouse
chamomile, tansy, caraway,
Chives, mint, tarragon.
borage, fennel.
Containers Check seeds that have been
left outside from the
Keep watering to a
minimum. Clean old pots previous autumn for the
ready for the spring purpose of stratification. If
they are starting to
repotting.
germinate, move them into
Garden a cold greenhouse.
Nothing to do other than
keep an eye on the garden Root Cuttings
Mint, tarragon, bergamot,
ensure no damage is
to
being caused by the weather.
chamomile, hyssop, tansy, j

sweet woodruff, sweet cicely.

 YEARLY CALENDAR 245

Comfrey ‘Goldsmith’ nestling

Division in a shady comer makes an
Mint, tarragon, wormwood, attractive border plant
lovage, rue, sorrel, lemon
balm, salad burnet, camphor
plant, thyme, winter savory,
marjoram, alecost,
horehound, pennyroyal.

Layering
This is a good time to start
mound layering on old sages
or thymes.

Containers
May
Tidy up all the pots, trim old
Everything should be
growth to maintain shape.
Start liquid feeding with
growing quickly now. The
annuals will need thinning;
seaweed. Repot if necessary.
tender and
Pot up new plants into
half-hardy plants should be
containers for display later
in the season.
hardened off under a cold
frame or beside a warm wall.
Garden A watch must be kept for a
Clear up all the winter sudden late frost; basil is
debris, fork the garden over especially susceptible. Move
and give a light dressing of
April month’s sown seeds; pot up, container specimens into
or harden off before bigger pots or top dress with
bonemeal. If your soil is
Suddenly there are not planting out. new .soil.
alkalineand you gave it a
good dressing of manure in enough hours in the day.
This is the main month for Softwood Cuttings Fresh Herbs Available
the autumn, now is the time
sowing outdoors, as soon as Rue, mint, sage, Nearly all varieties.
to dig it well in.
soil conditions permit. It is
.southernwood, winter
Remove black plastic, weed
also now possible to prune savorv', thymes, horehound, Cultivation
and place a cloche over
back to strong new shoots lavender, rosemary, cotton Seed Outside in the Garden
important sowing sites a
the branches of any shrubs lavender, curry. Keep sowing coriander, dill,
week before sowing to raise
the soil temperature and that have suffered in winter. chervil, parsley, sweet
Root marjoram, basil, and any
keep it dry.
Fresh Herbs Available Sweet cicely, fennel, mint. other annuals you require to
Toward the end of the
month, if the major frosts Angelica, lemon balm, bay, maintain crop.
borage, caraway, chervil, Division
are over, you can cut
chives, fennel, hyssop, Pennyroyal, chives, lady’s Seedlings
lavender back and into
lovage, pot marjoram, mints, mantle, salad burnet, Prick out and pot on or
shape. This is certainly
parsley, pennyroyal, tarragon. plant otit any of the previous
advisable for plants 2 years
old and older. Give them a peppermint, rosemary, sage, month's seedlings.
winter savory, sorrel, thyme, Containers
good mulch. Equally, sage
tarragon, lemon thyme. You should be able to put all Softwood Cuttings
bushes of 2 years and older
containers outside now; Miirjorams, mints,
would benefit from a trim - all

Cultivation keep an eye on the watering OH'gano, rosemarys, winter

not hard back because sage
Seed luith Heat and feeding. savory, french tarragon, all
does not recover well when
cut into the old wood. Cut Basil. th)mes.
Garden
back elder and rosemary;
Seed in Cold Greenhouse This is a busy time in the Containers
neither minds a hard cutting
Borage, chervil, coriander, garden. If all the frosts have These should now be
back, in fact, quite often
dill, fennel, lemon balm, finished, the following will looking good. Keep
they benefit from it.
lovage, pot marjoram, sweet need cutting and pruning trimming to maintain shape;
Transplant the following if
marjoram, sage, summer into shape: bay, winter water and feed regularly.
they need it: alecost, chives,
savory, winter savory, sorrel, savory, hyssop, cotton
mint, lemon balm, pot
buckler leaf sorrel, lavender, lavenders, rue Garden
marjoram, sorrel,
horehound, rue, bergamot, especially variegated rue, Trim southernwood into
horehound, and rue.
caraway, garden thyme. southernwood, and thymes. shape.

Seed Outside in the Garden Harvest

Parsley, chives, hyssop, Cut second-year growth of
caraway, pot marigold. angelica for candying. Cut
thyme before flowering for
Seedlings drying.
Transplant the previous
246 HERBS FOR THE HOME
I

June July August September

This is a great time in the The season is on the wane, A time to harvest and By mid-month, basil should be
herb garden. All planting is the early annuals and preserve many herbs for taken up and leaves
now completed. Plants are biennials are beginning to winter use. Collect and dry preserved. Line out semi-ripe
j

beginning to join up so that die back. It is already time to material for potpourris, and cuttings of box, cotton i

little further weeding will be think of next year and to collect seeds for sowing next lavenders, etc., in cold frames,
needed. Many plants are start collecting seeds. Take year. under cloches or in plastic
now reaching perfection. cuttings of tender shrubs as tunnels for hedge renewal in
spare shoots become Fresh Herbs Available the spring.
Fresh Herbs Available available. All.
All. Fresh Herbs Available
Fresh Herbs Available Cultivation Lemon balm, basil, bay,
Cultivation All. Seed Outside in the Garden or borage, caraway, chervil, j

Seed Outside in the Garden Greenhouse chives, clary sage, fennel, i

Basil,borage, chives, Cultivation Angelica, coriander, dill, hyssop, pot marigold,

coriander, dill, fennel, sweet Seed Outside in the Garden lovage, parsley, winter marjoram, the mints, parsley, !

marjoram, summer savory, Chervil, angelica (if seed is savory. pennyroyal, peppermint, |

winter savory, and any others set),borage, chervil, rosemarys, sages, winter
j

you wish to replace, or keep coriander, dill, lovage, Softwood Cuttings savory, sorrels, the thymes. |

going. parsley. Bay, wormwood, rosemary,

the thymes and lavenders, Cultivation
j

Cuttings Softwood Cuttings scented geraniums, balm of Seed Outside in the Garden or
With all the soft new growth Wormwood, scented Gilead, pineapple sage, Greenhouse \

available, this is a very busy geraniums, lavenders, the myrtles. Angelica, chives, coriander,
month for cuttings. Make thymes. parsley, winter savory.
sure you use material from Containers
nonflowering shoots. Layering If you are
going away, make Softwood and Semi-ripe
Rosemary. sure you ask a friend to Cuttings
Softwood Cuttings water your containers for Rosemary, the thymes,
All perennial marjorams, all Containers you. tarragon, the lavenders, rue,
mints, rosemary, all sage,
all Keep an eye on the watering the cotton lavenders, the
variegated lemon balm, as the temperatures begin to Garden curry plants, box.
tarragon (French), all rise. Give box, cotton lavender,
thymes. and curry, their second Division Bergamot.
Garden clipping and trim any
Division Thymes. Cut all lavenders back after established plants that are Containers
flowering to maintain shape. looking unruly. Maintain Toward the end of this month
Layering Rosemary. If this is the first summer of watering of the new herb take in all containers, and
the herb garden and the garden and keep an eye on protect tender plants like bay
Containers plants are not fully mints, parsley, and comfrey, trees, myrtles, and scented
Plant up annual herbs into established it is important to which need water to geraniums.
containers to keep near the make sure they do not dry flourish. There is no real
kitchen. Basil, sweet out, so water regularly. Once need to feed if the ground Garden
marjoram, etc.. established, many are has been well prepared, but At the beginning of the
tolerant of drought. if the plants are recovering month give the shrubby herbs
Garden from a pest attack they will their final clipping (bay,
If you must plant basil in the Harvest benefit from a foliar feed of lavender, etc). Do not leave it

garden, do it now. Nip out Drying liquid seaweed. too late or the frost could
the growing tips of this Lemon balm, horehound, damage the new growth.
year’s young plants to en- summer savory, hyssop, Harvest Put basil into glasshouse or
courage them to bush out. tarragon, thyme, lavender. Drying kitchen. Top dress bergamots
Trim cotton lavender Thyme, sage, clary sage, if they have died back.

hedges if flowers are not Dyeing and Potpourris marjoram, lavender. If lemon verbena is to be
required and to maintain Lavender, rosemary. kept outside, make sure it is
their shape; clip box hedges Freezing getting adequate protection.
and topiary shapes as Seed The mints, pennyroyal.
needed. A new herb garden Caraway, angelica. Harvest
should be weeded Oils Drying or Freezing
thoroughly to give the new Basil. Dandelion (roots), parsley,
plants the best chance. marigold, clary sage,
Seed peppermint. .

Harvest Angelica, anise, caraway,

Cut second-year growth of coriander, cumin, chervil, Seed \

angelica for candying. Cut dill, fennel. Angelica, anise, caraway,

sage for drying. chervil, fennel. '
 YEARLY CALENDAR 247

October sorrel, sage, oregano, November balm, alecost, horehound,

pennyroyal. and give them a dressing of
The best time in all but the The days are getting shorter leaf mold. Give the elders a
coldest areas to plant hardy Containers and frosts are starting. The prune. Dig up a clump of
perennial herbs. Start reducing the watering. garden can be tidied up and mint and chives, put them in
planting of hardy pots or trays, and bring
Fresh Herbs Available Garden herbaceous herbs can them into the greenhouse
Basil, bay, borage, chervil, Clear the garden and weed continue as long as soil for forcing for winter use.
fennel, hyssop, marigold, it well. Cut down the old remains unfrozen and in a
marjoram, parsley, rosemary, growth and collect any workable condition.
sage, winter savory, sorrel, remaining seed heads. Cut December
the thymes. back the mints, trim winter Fresh Herbs Available
savory and hyssop. Give Basil, bay, hyssop, marjoram, This is the start of the quiet
Cultivation them alla leaf mold mint, parsley, rosemary, rue, time in the herb garden.
Seed with Heat dressing. Dig up and remove sage, thyme.
Parsley. the annuals, dill, coriander, Fresh Herbs Available
borage, summer savory, Cultivation Bay, hyssop, marjoram,
Seed Outside in the Garden sweet marjoram, and the Seed oregano, mint (forced),
Catmint, chervil, wormwood, second-year biennials, Sow the following so that parsley, chervil, rosemary,
chamomile, fennel, angelica. parsley, chervil, rocket, etc. they can get a good period rue, sage, thyme.
Protect with cloches or of stratification: arnica (old
Softwood and Semi-ripe floating row covers any seed), sweet woodruff, Garden
Cuttings herbs to be used fresh yellow iris, poppy, soapwort, Even though the garden is

Bay, elder, hyssop, cotton through winter, like parsley, sweet cicely, hops (old entering its dormancy
lavender, southernwood, chervil, lemon thyme, salad seed), sweet violet. period, it does not mean you
lavenders, the thymes, curry, burnet. Dig up some French Sow in trays, cover with can put your feet up and
box. tarragon, pot up in trays for glass and leave outside in a watch television.
forcing and protection. cold frame or corner of the Remove all the dead
Root Cuttings Check the pH of alkaline garden where they cannot growth that falls into other
Tansy, pennyroyal, the soilevery third year. Dress get damaged. plants, add more protective
mints, tarragon. with well-rotted manure to a layers if needed. Wrap the
depth of2-4in (5-lOcm) Containers terra-cotta or stone
Division and leave the digging until Cut back on all watering of ornaments if you live in
Alecost, the marjorams, the following spring. Dig container-grown plants. Give extremely cold conditions.
chives,lemon balm, lady’s over heavy soils; add them all a prune, so that Bring bay trees in if the
mantle, hyssop, bergamot, manure to allow the frost to they go into rest mode for temperature drops too low.
camphor plant, lovage. penetrate. the winter. Keep an eye on the plants
you are forcing in the
Back row: Curly wood sage Teucrium scorodonia ‘Crispum’; lawn Garden greenhouse - you will need
chamomile Chamaemelum nobile ‘Treneague’; front row:
This is the time for the final your fresh green stuffing for
Variegated meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria variegata\ houseleek
tidy up. Cut back the the turkey.
Sempervivum tectorum; dwarf maijoram Origanum vulgare
‘Nanum’ remaining plants, lemon