Vegetable Gardening Tip #1 for 2012: Start Your Herbs Indoors EARLY!

This is tip #1 of I hope, a 100 or more vegetable gardening tips. Happy New Year by the way. I've decided to blog the entire year of 2012 with respect to vegetable gardening.

I went to the store today and as luck would have it, the vegetable seeds were already out. January 1st, in Maryland, is too early to start most seeds indoors but NOT the perennial herbs.

The perennial herbs grow great indoors and they really take a long time to germinate and grow to size. You can start specific herbs indoors in January. I will be starting mine tomorrow.

Vegetable Gardening Tip #1 for 2012: Gary Pilarchik

Some of the herbs you can start now are:

1. Chives - can take up to 21 days to germinate
2. Lavender - can take up to 25 days to germinate
3. Rosemary - can take up to 25 days to germinate
4. Oregano - can take up to 14 days to germinate
5. Thyme - can take up to 21 days to germinate
6. Parsley - can take up to 28 days to germinate

Vegetable Gardening Tip#1 for 2012: Gary Pilarchik

Germination is mostly dependent on warmth. If you are starting these herbs indoor without a heating mat, they take about 10 - 21 days to germinate at a temperature around 70 degrees. Oregano is always the first to germinate.

Once germination occurs, they are SLOW to GROW. It takes a good 3-4 weeks to establish the plants and several more weeks to get some good size to them. Where does that put you time wise? You are already into March. Because these plants are perennials but for the parsley which is a biennial (but treat it as a perennial), they can withstand the cold and can go into the garden early once acclimated to the outdoors.

These 6 herbs can be started in seeds trays now. You really want to start your perennial herbs early and let them get to a good size before you put them into the garden. Why? The quicker you can bring them into your kitchen!


Happy New Year.