Growing herbs in containers allows those with poor soil or with little yard space to benefit from herb gardening. Container-grown herbs also offer convenience when placed close to the kitchen. Most herbs do well in containers, including annuals and perennials. Choose from a variety of cooking, tea or medicinal herbs, such as basil, chives, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, mints, oregano, parsley and rosemary. A container garden of herbs can include several smaller pots or large ones with multiple herbs.
Containers
When growing herbs in a container garden, you need to use appropriately sized pots. Each herb plant, in general, needs about 1 gallon of potting soil. The type of container makes a difference. The containers should have drainage holes, according to the book "Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening." Materials such as terra cotta don't make good choices for climates that experience freezes. Metal also make a poor choice because it heats the roots up quickly. Good choices include plastic, wood, polyurethane foam and concrete.
Location
Herb plants perform best in full sun. Place the containers in a location that receives a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day. Afternoon sun can dry the plants out, however, so try to find a spot with most of the sunlight during the morning hours. Avoid windy locations because winds can dry the herbs out and blow over taller plants or lightweight containers. If the weather forecast includes heavy rain or storms, you might want to move your container herbs to a sheltered location to protect the plants.
Soil Mix
A lightweight soil mixture not only makes the containers easier to move around but also holds moisture better than plain soil. Look for a specially formulated container mix that includes fertilizer, or make your own and add fertilizer. A basic recipe for herb container gardens consists of equal parts compost, perlite and pulverized pine bark. Use a fertilizer suitable for the kind of herbs in the container and follow the manufacturer's directions for application.
Water
Container gardens require regular watering--more so than a traditional herb garden. Don't let the container garden dry out completely. In the summer, you may have to water daily. A layer of mulch on top of the soil mix helps conserve moisture. Water the herbs until you see some water come out the drainage holes, suggests the Arizona Master Gardener Manual.
References
- "Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening"; Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, Ellen Phillips; 2009
- Arizona Master Gardener Manual: Container Garden
- Iowa State University: Growing Herbs in Containers
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