This is my first time attempting to grow my own herbs from scratch.

I bought herb packet of mint, and a packet of basil
But when I opened both packets up there is tons of small popeye seed like balls

My question 1 is do I pour all of them into my pot around 1/4 inch depth in miracle grow . Or do I place only one popeye seed like ball in a pot ?

Seems like they give you a ton of seeds just to make a few herb plants in this packet.

Question 2
how often are you supposed to water them in the pots with holes for drainage ?
how much sun , heat/tempeture should I expose/keep them at?

 

For mint poke holes about 3 inches apart in the pots and plant 3-4 them about 1/16-1/8th of an inch deap in soil! Then keep em moist for a week or so inside so that layer doesn't dry out. Then move em outside when they sprout. Mints a community plant so it spreads and joins itself. Start in smaller pots and grow em till the root balls come out the bottom then move them progressevly bigger pots till you wanna plant em in the ground. Mint loves water so most people plant it where there outside water spicket is. So those drips and over runs help it.

Basils a lil trickier. Put 3-4 seeds the same depth in one hole in one pot. The roots of basil are not a community player and will try to choke each other out. Follow same directions for both growing, but with basil let the sprouts come up, then after they grow about an inch and get 4 leaves cut all of em but the best 1 (DO NOT PULL THEM OUT)cut em right at the soil line. The roots that die will just compost. Both like full sun mint likes water all the time as much as it can get. Basil likes to be wated then let dry out then watered again. You can figure this out by just lifting the pots and feeling the weights. Biggest mistakes you''ll make are using too big of pots too soon and the soil gets impackted before the roots can take hold. thats why you want to start them ihn small 4 inch pots or small foam cups. Then when the roots are full in the cup/pot goto 1 gal, then 3 gallon, then 7 gallon, then anywhere cause you'll never get them that big before they cycle off flower seed and die.



FIN!

Not to toot my horn I am one of the garden experts here. We,ve got a few.

 

You would have been better off buying such herbs pregrown and then planting them in a PLASTIC pot as ceramic pots will absorb water away from the plant. But you have seeds so I would recomment throwing out the Miracle Grow soil as it is too light or mixing it with heavier soil. Basil is easy to grow and you have to pull out basil plants growing to close as they grow large. You can grow alot but you must keep cutting them down or they will flower and this is not tasty at all. Make sure the pots have rock and sand on the bottom for drainage and they like full sun.
Split Infinity

 

You would have been better off buying such herbs pregrown and then planting them in a PLASTIC pot as ceramic pots will absorb water away from the plant.

I disagree. Seed germination is a fundemental 101 gardening. I think he needs to learn that first. Anyone can take a pregrown walmart mint and make it grow. Real DIY people and people wanting to learn should start with seeds. Buying them gives one false confidense. Germinating seeds is an art and needs to be learned.

 

Basil is almost idiot proof as far as getting it's seeds to grow. Mint is like a Cancer in ones garden and he should make certain he does not allow it to seed and allow such seeds to fall on the grass or anywhere else as Mint spreads quickly and is invasive.

I suppose you are right about allowing him to gain such knowledge at a rudimentary level of beginnings. By the way...I am Split Infinity...I just joined. How are you?

 

I suppose you are right about allowing him to gain such knowledge at a rudimentary level of beginnings. By the way...I am Split Infinity...I just joined. How are you?

Its all good in the hood. But this is my point. Mass seading for an herb garden is extremely easy. Growing it from an actual seed is hard and you gain very good knowledge because other plants with similar seeds are much lower yeilding and more expensive/rarer. So starting some mint in a garden is easy cause you get 5000 seeds in a bag. You put 5000 in the dirt your gonna get some to sprout. Then for instance get into the Moruga red scorpion, and pay $50 for 5 seeds. Your gonna want that knowledge to not f it up.

 

I guess it really depends on how serious he is about learning the craft. For hobbiest starters are great and easy. I wouldn't dream of paying that kind of money for a plant like a Burpee herb. so I just get a big gulp and fill the bottom with cold water. then I walk the herb garden with a long thumbnail and clip off lil shoots of the plant Technically its stealing but when I get caught everyone just laughs at me. I tell em I wanna try it for a recipe. Half believe it then other half just laugh.

 

I have a very large organic garden planted every spring and I use pre-grown plants as this saves alot of time. If in Mass...it is important to lyme the soil as Mass. soil is naturally acidic. One should also rototill and use as much composte as possible.

A good sign of proper soil PH as well as the soil being rich is finding many Nightcrawlers after a rain. They tend to like soil righ in composte.

Split Infinity

 

Take a growing tray and fill with germinating medium, not ordinary potting soil.
Put one seed in at a time spaced about 1" apart. Sounds tedious. It is.

Or buy cell packs with 9 cells per pack and fill with growing medium.
Put one seed per cell.

Most good quality seeds have 100% germinating rate.

 

well , I have seen how to do seedlings , or pre-grow plants...etc

so I am more curious about learning how to do it from scratch.
I also have parsely and lavender.

Question
Which is harder to grow herbs , vegetables , fruits, flowers, plants?
Can they all be done from seeds indoors in starter pots with holes in them at first?
What is the least and most challenging thing to grow?

 

I would place three seeds per cell to make certain growth and then weed out the weaker plants. Basil is very hardy and since young basil is desirable...a good sized PLASTIC pot and medium heavy soil with good drainage and about 30 seeds and allow the basil plants themselves to fight for dominace.
Cut the basil when young and make sure they do not flower.
Split Infinity

 

Herbs are relatively easy to grow and can be grown in pots near a window or outside. As far as fruits such as tomatos and cucumbers...and vegetables such as carrots, various greens...you will find each one has it's own requirements.
For a starter...try Summer Squash and Zuchinni as well as Tomatos and Cucumbers. The squash is easy to grow but you must watch out for Mosaic Fungus. Tomatos need to be tied up or caged as well as suckered...and cucumbers are best grown upon a trellis or cage as this allows them to hang away from the ground which prevents bugs and other organisms from getting at them.
You should read up about how much and when to water as well as light issues as cucumbers tend to burn in all day sun. I am a wiz at Tomatos and I grow so many I donate the excess to a local Food Bank. I can get up to 50 to 90 tomatos...Beefsteak or Jet Star or Big Boy...upon a 7 foot plant in one season.
Split Infinity

 

Which is harder to grow herbs , vegetables , fruits, flowers, plants?

What is the least and most challenging thing to grow?

They all have their hard varieties and easy varieties of each so you really can't answer that.

I'd say the most challenging that I have done,,,,,hmmm I don't think any were that hard. I started young and was taught how to do it so I really can't say. But as far as starting and growing I'd say the newer hot peppers, some are easy, some are really hard with low germ rates cause they breed for heat alone and not really ability to germinate and grow stability.

 

Habanero and Cayanne Peppers are some that I grow and they seem to grow well in heavy soil with sand as well as you must allow they to dry out as if they are always wet they will rot. Both of these peppers are ideal to grow in a pot as long as you have the proper soil mix and PH.
The Peppers that are hard to grow are the true Red Peppers which can be harvested as yellow, orange or red. I cage them and as my garden is organic and no pesticide is used...there are a few tricks such as not planting them where another Nightshade plant such as Eggplant...has grown the previous year...as well as keeping a good amount of flowering annuals planted around the garden to allow them to easily pollinate...and making special areas that are conductive for toads and birds to habitate or visit to keep down the insect population.
Using hay or fress cut grass to keep down weeds as well as it's decomposition creates much heat which will sterilize the ground surface and kill many organisms as well as this heat causing quick growth of the garden.
Split Infinity

 

Heres last years starters I started indoors from seeds. These are the rarest peppers and the hottest peppers backapore Douglas Primo Cardi.etc.. Nototriously hard to grow and germ, seeds are about $1-$3 each on average. But the Moruga Scorpions got as high as $100 for 10 seeds for a while but I wouldn't pay it. My know dealer only had Moruga Yellows. But I fear too many peeps were scamming the Red Moruga's because it broke the world record. Now you should be able to get em.

 

The wrong soil can ruin all your efforts.
You must test pH and adjust.

We have peat mix soil here from bags, too low pH, leaves twisting, plants stretching, and very slow startup. Many seeds not making it.

Added some gardening lime.

Also they can not tolerate nutrition more than 1/4 normal strength.

Poor buffering capabilities.

 

Mint spreads quickly and is invasive.

It'll die out before it spreads over the seasons. Also 99% of all mints are hybrid clones so unless you started it from seed it can't reproduce seed. Thats why all the rare mints you have to buy as starters and seeds don't exist. Just search em out like Ginsing, cotton candy, Orange, Chocolate, Lemon, there are tons. My neighbors brought one that doesn't even smell like mint that they eat for medicinal purposes. Its big and purple.

 

MAX...absolutely beautiful and hardy!

How well do these varieties dry out like if you string them?

Split Infinity

 

MAX...absolutely beautiful and hardy!

How well do these varieties dry out like if you string them?

Split Infinity

Great but their incredibly hot. Just type in Butch T pepper on youtube and enjoy people trying to eat em.

 

Great but their incredibly hot. Just type in Butch T pepper on youtube and enjoy people trying to eat em.

I like to use dry Hot Peppers when I am creating a good stir fry of my Garden Vegetables...and I add chicken, pork or beef.

You don't need to use alot of the real hot ones and it seems to give the dish better flavor.

Here is an awsome dish. Take unfrozen chicken wings...salt and pepper than deep fry in canola oil. Have a metal bowl ready and a stick of melted butter. Also have some dry hot pepper crushed into a powder as well as have Garlic Powder and Powdered Parm Cheese.

When the wings are cooked....immediately throw them in the metal bowl and add the Parm and Garlic Powder...about one third cup of cheese and two tablespoons of Garlic and add Crushed powdered pepper to taste as it will immediately melt and fuse onto the wings.

Then pour melted butter over the whole thing...a good amount of wings...and toss in metal bowl.

Serve upon newspaper covered plate with celery and sauses. AWESOME!

Split Infinity