Most herbs for the kitchen grow quickly and easily from seed, but others are difficult to grow from seed, such as horseradish, mint, rosemary and bay.
peppermint-variegated
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Horseradish is best grown from a root, which has been cut off a mother plant.
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Mint is best grown from roots, which have been divided off a mother plant.
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Rosemary is easily grown from cuttings.
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Bay is easily grown from cuttings, but very slow growing.
1. Equipment you need:
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Containers – Clean plant pots or recycled containers e.g. yoghurt pots, margarine tubs etc should have holes in the bottom for drainage. Plastic trays are ideal for small seeds. Old cardboard toilet rolls or peat pots can be planted outdoors, with the growing seed still in situ, at planting time. Egg trays are OK for very small seeds.
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Compost
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Seeds
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Labels /markers – old lolly sticks are ideal, or tongue depressors from the chemist, or cut up margarine lids. Write with black permanent marker.
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Plastic Covers – to keep conditions warm and humid.
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Water
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Light
2. Prepare Compost:
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Break up the compost so it consists of fine crumbs with no lumps.
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Add enough water to wet the soil, without having the water dripping out.
3. Fill the container:
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¾ full with damp compost.
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Keep the compost loose – don’t squash it down.
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Firm the compost down, very gently.
basil-pot
4. Plant seeds:
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Read the seed packet – check seeds are not unusual, needing to be left on the surface or in the light.
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Spread seeds on compost, so plenty of room between them.
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Cover seeds with thin layer of compost, unless seed packet says otherwise.
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Water surface of compost with a fine spray of water.
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Cover the container with plastic, or place in a plastic bag, & hold with rubber band so that there is an airtight seal.
5. Place container:
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In a warm (18-21degrees C – 65-70 F) place.
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Out of draughts.
6. Check daily
7. Germination – As soon as seed leaves can be seen poking through the compost, move the container to a very light position and remove the polythene.
8. Feeding and Potting On -When the first true leaves appear add a little plant food. When several sets of leaves have developed, & the seedling is about 5cm tall, they should be put into another pot.
9. Harden off before placing outside.
More information on herbs can be found in the To buy the How To Grow Herbs For Cooking eBook.
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