PLANTING GUIDE: Here’s some herbs of the month
January 18, 2025
by Sandra Heinold/Victoria County Master Gardener
Oregano (Contributed by pexels)
Parsley (Contributed by pexels. com)
Thyme
Rosemary
Every year this column is guided by a general theme recommended to us by readers and fellow gardeners. In 2025, Gardeners’ Dirt will highlight herbs— one herb or pairs of herbs each month: fennel, thyme, rosemary, oregano and marjoram, lemon balm, bay laurel, elderberry, savory, coriander (aka cilantro), Rubus, spp. (brambles, blackberries, dewberries), parsley and chamomile (also called manzanilla).
All of them are “Herbs of the Year” chosen by the International Herb Association. Some of them are annuals, which means that they are planted, produce, and die in one season. Some are perennials, which means they have the potential to live and produce for multiple seasons.
Mostof themcanbegrown from seeds or transplants, but some are grown primarily from transplants. This article is a general guide to planting these herbs.
For more specific information regarding the cultivars you have chosen, follow the planting instructions on your seed packet or the labels on your purchased transplants.
Timing is key to successful planting. While our area has a long growing period, many plants have a hard time coping with our harsh summers, high humidity, and frequent droughts, so it’s important to get them in the ground early enough to get a good harvest before the debilitating heat sets in.
In general, January is the month for starting seeds indoors and transplanting outside once the threat of frost is over. In Victoria (zone 9b), that date is generally around the middle to end of February.
Some herbs can also be planted outdoors in early September for a fall harvest. The average first freeze date in this area is mid-December.
Cool-Weather Herbs
Cool weather herbs have a difficult time surviving our harsh summers, so they are often started in the fall or very early spring. Most of them won’t survive a freeze either, so that leaves a short period of time to grow before the first freeze and a short period after the last freeze to get them planted.
Planting in the fall usually means planting in August and September which requires gardeners to protect seeds and young plants from the heat and sun by providing some shade and ensuring sufficient moisture.
Herbs on our list that can be planted from seed in the fall are coriander, parsley, savory, fennel, and chamomile. All these plants require six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day.
Warm-Weather Herbs
Most herbs require warmth to thrive. Many of them are Mediterranean in origin, so they like our summer heat and can deal with some drought. But most will benefit from some shade in the afternoon during the summer.
Well-drained soil is essential. Oregano, lemon balm, marjoram, rosemary and thyme can be sowed indoors in January or directly seeded outdoors after the first of March. These herbs sprout best when the soil temperature is around 70 degrees. Transplants can go in the ground at the same time.
Bay laurel and elderberry are both small trees. Both are most often purchased as saplings, and both are good container plants. Bay laurel can go in the ground in late spring or early summer and elderberry is often planted during winter dormancy.
Most often thought of as fruits, the many species of the Rubus genus such as blackberry and other brambles also have medicinal uses. They are most often started as bare root transplants in early spring.
If you decide to have a go at planting some of these herbs, this guide is intended to help you know when to purchase seeds or transplants and when to plant them.
Here is to good planting and harvesting a variety of herbs!
Gardeners’ Dirt is published in The Victoria Advocate each Saturday.
Gardeners’ Dirt is written by
Victoria County Master Gardener Association members