DIY: Planting Your Herbs...

for today post, i thought of writing about planting your own herb ...i've got a reader who is keen on planting her very own herb garden but can't seem to get it grow.

so here's some tips (esp. for those living in Malaysia) on planting your herbs. this tips mostly works on all types of plants/herbs

i got mine a baby rosemarry plant initially bought at coldstorage for i think a mere RM5.90 if i'm not mistaken.i also bought my parsely and basil there..you could probably find some in a nursary, as most of them have at least 5-8 types of herbs that you can purchase.

i suppose buying a baby plant makes things easier (long wait for a bud growing from the seeds can be a bit depressing for me). the tricky part is when you transfer from its original pot.

the tip is that you should be careful not to break its original soil when you try to get it out from the pot. so be gentle.

then wet the rosmarry soil gently keeping in mind not to break the soil. then prepare the bigger pot, fill in the soil half way then wet the soil. make a hole or a space for the plant/rosemarry with its original soil to put in then cover it with soil up to the brim then wet the soil again.

plant like Rosemarry, dill, mint can grow from its stem (batang) so you can cut and plant it again. alot simpler than from its seeds. ;)

for successfully growing rosemary are: Sun, Good Drainage and Good Air Circulation. (well for most plants too excep for thyme, thyme loves cool places)

water it once or twice a day depending on the heat of that day.


For Successful planting:

YOU NEED:

a GOOD pot thats - have large surface and deep, not shallow. plant like mint loves a large surface area for it to grow.

Check your SOIL once in 2 weeks - making sure that the plant's root is not cluttering, meaning that the plant's root should have room to grow if not you need a new pot - bigger and deeper ones.

after a month or two, if your plant seem to be NOT growing, unhappy, again check its roots, if its cluttering, then time to change the pot. and you could trim off the excessive roots with a SHARP knife or scissors.

organic fertelizers works wonders for herbs.

Choosing SOIL - use the mixed partly fertalized soil. it works best for me. plus you don't have to worry about fertalizer for a month.


ahhh~ tip for basil,

this is how basil flower looks like

when it grows, it'll have flowers, and lots of it! you would need to pay more attention to it. the flowers tend to cause the flowered part of the branch to die so you would need to snip it out before it completely matures (turn brown). plus its making the leaves less aromatic and flavorful...somehow...so you don't want that.

Thyme:

this is a fussy plant for us in Malaysia as it loves cool place with a little sunlight. it also loves water. the roots grows very fast and you'll need to check on it frequently.

hmmm...anything else i've missed out?...*paused & pondering* nvm i'll get back when i remember something ^_^

so cilantro hope this will help you start your garden. Thank you for reading.