Planting in the Fall in NC

Since shortly after Labor Day, I've gotten this question weekly at the Farmer's Market: Is it worth my time to plant herbs now, or should I wait until the Spring?

And my answer is typically: It depends.

There are many, many herbs that benefit from planting in September/October in NC. In fact, I'm working on a new bed this week that will probably take most of the week to get filled and ready, and I probably won't be planting it until next weekend -- the end of October! However, this bed will be mostly rosemary and thyme, and I won't add the sages ( a GREAT companion plant to rosemary) until Spring, even though they'd probably do just fine if I planted them now, also. Both the rosemary and thyme are sort of evergreens here in our moderate region, and they don't need tons of water, so I'm not overly concerned. I'll probably plant them and will then need to cover them with Agribon in a couple of weeks, but no matter; by early Spring, they will look lovely, I'm sure of it!

In terms of watering, if you have a big garden area you'd like to turn up, just be cautionary about need for water use, since we're currently in such a dire state here in NC. BUT you can still plant! However, smaller areas, fill-ins, and potted plants are OK, provided you are cognizant of conserving water as best as you can.

Herbs that LOVE the Fall and early Spring weather:

• Chervil
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Fennel
• Mints
• Parsley

There are also some other herbs that -- if you plan on growing them from seed -- you must throw out the seed NOW for the seeds to germinate and sprout in the spring, since they need a cycle of cold weather. Most of them are non-culinary, but there are some commonly used:

• Blue vervain
• Hops
• Jewelweed
• Soapwort
• Valerian

Also, it's a good time to plant trees and bulbs!

Even now, you can plant most other perennial/biennial herbs, and you will probably get something out of them, since our weather (usually with some light covering at night once the evenings go below 40 degrees F) allows for many to grow through to December. Then, they will usually go to sleep and slow down/stop growing in January/February, but in March -- your garden will be green before you know it, and a lot earlier than if you start plants in the Spring!

On another note, another question I often get is if herbs can be grown year-round in pots. Yes, they can! Though there are a few more particular than others, most are easy to keep going throughout the year inside, with the following items to note:

• Mediterranean plants - such as rosemary, sage, and oregano - really don't like to have soggy roots, and people tend to overwater in pots, so I'd caution to LET IT DRY OUT before watering -- usually 3 or 4 days. Otherwise, rot will abound, and you will have trouble trying to keep the plants going.
• Basils also don't like to be soggy, or they will succumb to disease, such as fusarium (wilt). Again, this is a good plant to allow to dry out before watering.
• LIGHTING is very important -- sunny windows are nice, but keep in mind that a plant grows to the natural cycles of the year. Therefore, growth naturally slows down and/or stops when the days get shorter, even in the sunniest and warmest window! Supplemental lighting is a must, and the plant should get at least 10-12 hours of light a day. You can buy the expensive grow light bulbs, but actually, a plain flourescent light does the trick -- and you can get small ones to hang over it -- or even just put in a lamp over it with a flourescent bulb -- for a lot less money!
• In pots, don't forget to fertilize about once or twice a month with a good, organic fertilizer that has an NPK of 5-5-5 or less. More than that, and you'll be likely to burn the plant(s). A good fertilizer we've used that does well with potted plants is Metanaturals 3-3-3 (liquid), - it's OMRI listed for organic use, and you can get it or other similar organic-friendly fertilizers at GardenWorks on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh (http://www.gardenworks.com)
• A regular shot of 3.5% food grade hydrogen peroxide is a must for growing throughout the winter in pots. That way, the roots don't get stale and suffocated. You can spray the plant with it, and/or use it with your water at 8 oz/gallon of water.

The best advantage to growing herbs in pots is that this makes the plants easily mobile! You can move the plants inside for the winter, and then move them back outside once the nights stay above freezing. Or, you can just let the perennials/biennials go to sleep outside in the pots, and they will resprout in the Spring, as well!