Good afternoon!

I am new to this site, and relatively new to gardening and container gardening in particular. We just moved to a new home that is a lot shadier than our old property. In fact, the only really sunny area is on one corner of our 2nd floor deck. So my space is limited... I'm thinking containers! I have some great herb seeds from Baker's, but have never grew them from seed, let alone in containers. Is there anything special I should keep in mind? I'm in the north Atlanta suburbs. I've found plenty of info on when to start veggie seeds, but nothing on herbs re: when to start, when to transplant, etc. Any help anyone could give would be sincerely appreciated!

Thank you so much for your time,
Suzanne

Not all herbs are created equal, so it would help to mention which ones you want to grow. Many do well in containers.
And , both to gardening and to ATP!

Save that sunny spot, though. Most of the more popular herbs do like the sun, even in the South. Mint might be an exception, as it lasts better for me in moist, semi-shady spots.

Oops sorry! I have oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and cilantro. Thanks!

Your rosemary , thyme and oregano will be perennial so pick a large pot that you can leave out over winter.
The cilantro and basil are annuals , they are best planted in succession (plant every two weeks ) for best harvest. Cilantro tends to bolt(go to seed) in the heat so best sown early and late season and used while young. It can be frozen for fresh taste in dishes over the hot summer.

Good luck and let us know how it goes

delawaresu!

The cilantro likes sun but will bolt as soon as it gets too hot. It will reseed so after you have it planted you may not have to plant again. You can probably plant your cilantro outside in the next few weeks. I planted some already outside but also started some seeds inside yesterday. Oh, I am south of Atlanta, near Newnan, so we don't have too different of weather.

I start my basil now, in fact, I just planted seeds yesterday. You didn't say if you were starting seeds inside. If not, you will have to wait until about the end of April to plant direct outside.

Rosemary is a slow germinator and grower. I have grown it from seed but it can be a challenge so I usually just buy a plant for a start and then take cuttings. If you're new to planting seeds you may want to try that.

I have thyme and oregano but I cannot remember if they were touchy or not. I think thyme is fairly easy. Both are low growers so they could be planted in the same pot with your basil.

Good luck!

Good information, Cinda and Arlene. (Gosh, it is so nice to be able to call people by their "real" names. )

I grow all of those herbs as well as garlic chives and Italian chives. These both are perennials. In temperatures above the mid-20's, they might not die back, but below that, mine all die back. They are both just beginning to grow again.

As you both pointed out, cilantro does best in mild temperatures and mine don't do well at all when it gets into the 90's. I have a huge rosemary in the landscape and several others in pots. My wife uses rosemary all the time in cooking and marinades. I don't even remember where the huge rosemary came from, but all the potted ones were simply cuttings from that "mother" plant. I think the mother plant was probably a cutting taken from a plant I had at another house. If so, this plant would be about 5 years old. It is 7' tall and at least 5' wide now. We use the heck out of all our herbs/chives. If we have baked potatoes or potato soup, fresh-cut Italian chives will be used. The garlic chive is great for soups and salads.

Another great plant to grow (in full sun) is heirloom, gourmet garlic. That would be planted in the fall though and then dug up in late May/early June. If you have never had fresh, heirloom, gourmet garlic, it will knock your socks off. Store-bought garlic used to all come from central CA but now most of it comes from China :tongue_smilie:. Garlic is actually "rated" by experts on flavor and pungency (heat). The typical store-bought garlic (I don't even know what the variety is coming out of China) is rated at a 3/2 and heirloom, gourmet garlic is rated at anywhere from 5/5 to 8/8. I have never seen a garlic rated at a 9 or 10, but it may exist.