HOW TO GROW HERBS FROM SEEDS

Herbs are rewarding plants to grow. Not only do they provide tasty additions to all types of foods you cook, many plants are beautiful as ornamental and produce attractive flowers in the landscape. Starting with seed not only gives you a wider selection of herb varieties to grow, it’s less expensive, especially if you’re growing many plants.

While the most common herbs to grow from seed are annual herbs such as basil and dill, you can start almost any herb from seed, given the right conditions. 

Basic Needs

Regardless of the herb you’re growing indoors from seed, there are some basic needs they all have. 

Use seed starting potting mix when growing herb seeds. A seed starting mix is even lighter than regular potting soil and is easier for germinating seeds to poke through. Many herb seeds are tiny, so having a heavy mix makes it harder for them to sprout and more likely that they will rot before germinating.

INGREDIENTS FOR SEED STARTING MIX

  1. COCOPEAT 30 PERCENT
  2. VERMICOMPOST 30 PERCENT
  3. GARDEN SOIL 30 PERCENT
  4. 5 PERCENT VERMICULITE 
  5. 2.5 PERCENT NEEM CAKE
  6. 2.5 PERCENT BONE MEAL

PREPARING SEEDLING MIX

Mix the above ingredients in the mentioned proportion and sieve it out using a flour sieve. Use whatever that comes out from the sieve and discard the remains on top.

Use new pots about 4 inches or otherwise use terracotta bonsai trays. Keep ample gravel or broken pieces of pots to cover the holes. Also, keep a layer of charcoal pieces. Fill the above mix in the pots and pour boiling water, keep it for cooling down for 3-4 hours.

 

HOW TO SOW SEEDS OF HERBS

Now spread the seeds over the soil and lightly cover the seeds with the potting mix. Do not cover more than what is needed. Big seeds can be sown about a cm deep while tiny seeds should be sprinkled over the top and covered with a light layer of soil mix. 

You can use the sieve to cover the seeds with a fine layer. after covering the seeds with a fine layer of soil mix use a fine soft spray to spray water evenly, be careful don’t wash off the seeds just damp it. use a plastic transparent plastic or a clear zip bag and keep the pot inside it and lock it using a cello tape. keep the pot in a bright place but not direcetly under the sun. be patient and wait for the germination to happen, some seeds germinate in 4 to 5 days and some take more than 3 weeks, list is given  underneath. 

Tip – if the seeds are very tiny then mix them with a handful of potting mix and then spread it out evenly on the pot.

While clay pots are fine for growing on, it’s best to use plastic trays with small cells to start your herbs. The small cells make it easy to start many herbs all at once, and you can sow herbs with similar growth requirements near each other. They can be transplanted into larger pots as they grow. The exception is herbs that don’t like transplanting such as parsley. Start these in larger pots to reduce the number of times they are transplanted.

Place the tray or pots in a semi shaded place, out of direct sun. Cover the pots or cells with clear plastic to keep the soil moist. 

POST GERMINATION CARE

Once they germinate, remove the plastic and slowly move the pots from semi shade to full sun depending on the weather. If the sun is too harsh keep them in a bright place but not under direct sun.

Light sprays of a liquid organic fertilizer will help keep your herb seedlings green and growing strong. Apply a diluted solution weekly starting a week after germination.

Transplant your herbs once they are too large for their pots. If you planted in single cell trays, separate the herbs from each other and pot them into individual pots. Harden plants off before planting them outdoors or moving the pots outside.

Top Herbs and How to Grow Them from Seed

Basil – One of the easiest herbs to grow from seed, sow two seeds per cell and thin to the strongest one after germination. Basil germinates as fast as 4 days from seeding in warm soil. Basil seedlings don’t like excess water, so let the pots almost dry out between watering. Once seedlings have grown their true leaves, transplant into 2-inch diameter pots.

Chives – An easy herb to grow, seeds self sow in the garden readily so you know it’s a quick germinator. Keep the soil evenly moist and the seeds will germinate in 10 days from sowing.

Cilantro – Cilantro hates being transplanted. Sow seeds in pots that can be moved directly into the garden or in a larger pot outside. Split the seeds in two using a light weight. Soak seeds overnight in warm water, and sow 1/4 inch deep. Cilantro seeds should germinate in 7 to 10 days.

Dill – Dill is a great herb for the beginner to grow from seed. It has big seeds, so it’s easy to handle. It grows quickly, germinating within 1 to 2 weeks of sowing the seeds.

Parsley – Parsley seed is notoriously slow to germinate, sometimes taking up to 4 weeks. To speed it along, soak the seeds overnight in warm water and sow 1/4 inch deep in the soil. Parsley doesn’t like to be transplanted, so grow seeds in pots large enough to move outside into the garden.

Oregano – This small-seeded herb can take weeks to germinate, so be patient. Gently press the tiny seeds into the soil and keep evenly moist. Oregano and thyme can be prone to damping off disease if the soil is kept too moist.

Sage – Like parsley, sage is slow to germinate, sometimes taking up to 21 days. Be patient and keep the soil evenly moist.

Thyme – Thyme seed is so small, it’s easy to mistakenly sow a bunch in a little pot. Some growers mix sand with this small seed so as to not plant too much. Gently place a few seeds in each cell or pot, and lightly press them into the soil. It may take 2 to 3 weeks for the tiny seedlings to appear. Watch out for damping off disease.