Fresh Herb Plants

[Laker14]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,

[DAVES]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,

You want to do some reading. Cherry tomatoes, off the top of my head, Sweet 100 is a popular cherry tomato. But it is an indeterminate variety-a huge plant. If, I recall there was one called tom thumb which has heavy stems and stays small. It does not produce that much fruit. Most herbs are basically weeds. Poor soil, stress from little water gives you the best flavor. You will probably do best buying seeds. Mint does well in pots and it is great in iced tea.

[Carla B]

You want to do some reading. Cherry tomatoes, off the top of my head, Sweet 100 is a popular cherry tomato. But it is an indeterminate variety-a huge plant. If, I recall there was one called tom thumb which has heavy stems and stays small. It does not produce that much fruit. Most herbs are basically weeds. Poor soil, stress from little water gives you the best flavor. You will probably do best buying seeds. Mint does well in pots and it is great in iced tea.

I think Rosemary here is a shrub, but I don't know a lot about raising herbs. I know that basil, oregano, thyme, mint do well. Have bought them as small plants from Lowe's.

[Laker14]

I think Rosemary here is a shrub, but I don't know a lot about raising herbs. I know that basil, oregano, thyme, mint do well. Have bought them as small plants from Lowe's.

I couldn't find any small herb plants in Lowe's today, also couldn't find anybody to ask. I'll look again. Thanks.

[Koapaka]

Check Amazon. Believe it or not you can get ANYTHING in the way of live herbs you could want. Seeds and live plants both available. I have ordered several nice plants from Amazon and have been very impressed with the size/health and quality of them.

[Laker14]

Check Amazon. Believe it or not you can get ANYTHING in the way of live herbs you could want. Seeds and live plants both available. I have ordered several nice plants from Amazon and have been very impressed with the size/health and quality of them.

I'll check them out, thanks.

[davem4616]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,


Give Home Depot and Lowe's a try...they usually have a variety of herbs and veggies outside and inside....go early though as the sun and heat really wilt the plants that they have out front.

Basil, mint and thyme you can usually pick up as small plants at Publix...I had some luck with garlic chives in the ground, but the onion chives I've had trouble growing...mint just seems to get too leggy

We put the basil, rosemary and oregano in the ground...the latter two we now trim with the electric trimmer. The basil grows nicely in the ground with southern exposure. Parsley seems to get eaten by butterfly lava, so we've stopped leaving that outside. Tomatoes we grow in very large containers with a southern exposure...but put a net around them, as the bunnies will get at them.

we've also had good luck planting the tops of pineapples and the bottoms of onions (again in a southern exposure)...it'll take about `18 months for a pineapple plant to yield fruit, but when it does, it is the sweetest one that you've ever had.

happy gardening

[Luggage]

Publix by the fresh fruits. N veges

[Koapaka]

I'll check them out, thanks.

On my Christmas wishlist.....Lettuce Grow - Meet The Farmstand (https://www.lettucegrow.com/the-farmstand/?utm_source=IR&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=IR_aff_10078-Skimbit%20Ltd._nbcnews.com&utm_term=ONLINE_TRACKING_LINK&utm_content=776628_Online%20Tracking%20Link&irclickid=TGGx%3AJzCExyITPl2ylUq9zCEUkG023yfPzLi10 0&irgwc=1)

[Laker14]

Give Home Depot and Lowe's a try...they usually have a variety of herbs and veggies outside and inside....go early though as the sun and heat really wilt the plants that they have out front.

Basil, mint and thyme you can usually pick up as small plants at Publix...I had some luck with garlic chives in the ground, but the onion chives I've had trouble growing...mint just seems to get too leggy

We put the basil, rosemary and oregano in the ground...the latter two we now trim with the electric trimmer. The basil grows nicely in the ground with southern exposure. Parsley seems to get eaten by butterfly lava, so we've stopped leaving that outside. Tomatoes we grow in very large containers with a southern exposure...but put a net around them, as the bunnies will get at them.

we've also had good luck planting the tops of pineapples and the bottoms of onions (again in a southern exposure)...it'll take about `18 months for a pineapple plant to yield fruit, but when it does, it is the sweetest one that you've ever had.

happy gardening

Thanks for all of that information. A few questions for you.
How large does a pineapple plant grow? How productive are they once they start producing?
Basil does well with southern exposure, do you recommend that for rosemary and oregano, as well?
Do the bunnies leave the herbs alone, generally?

[NotGolfer]

There's some nurseries near The Villages....one is Fairfield Farms (or something like that) on 301 going north out of Oxford. It will be on the west side of the highway. Another is Burke's which is on Church Road in Wildwood. I don't know the other name of the road (it's a number) but you'd turn north at the stop-light on 466a and Powell Rd. and it's near the railroad tracks on the right side. Maybe someone at one of these could help you. Just know that growing stuff in FL is much different that "up north". So as someone else mentioned do some homework. I think there's also a "master gardener" class you could take or maybe the county extension people. Best wishes with your endeavor!!

[RouseysMom]

I saw small herb plants for sale last weekend at the Farmers Market Saturday mornings at Brownwood.

[johnsre]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,

The farmers market at Brownwood has local growers that have quality herbs. At Lowers the herbs are outside at the left of the entrance to the garden center.

[sdeikenberry]

Publix has potted herbs in the produce department. I've grown basil and it does well from year to year. You need to keep it trimmed down or it becomes very large and woody. It can also die out if we get a freeze, but cheap to replant. Rosemary is hardy here and does well as a bush. Mint needs a pot or it will take over any open space it's planted in.

[La lamy]

Thanks for all of that information. A few questions for you.
How large does a pineapple plant grow? How productive are they once they start producing?
Basil does well with southern exposure, do you recommend that for rosemary and oregano, as well?
Do the bunnies leave the herbs alone, generally?

Pineapples I've seen at my villa for the last couple winters have been about 3' wide and 2' high and only 1 or 2 pineapples yield per year per plant. Crazy long time to get very small yield. They are pretty much maintenance free, but quite prickly when you have to take care of them.
Rosemary and oregano can be grown in sun like basil in my experience. Haven't seen bunnies get to herbs but insects like aphids, whiteflies, Japanese beetles, slugs and even grasshoppers love basil.
Good luck!

[Travelhunter123]

I couldn't find any small herb plants in Lowe's today, also couldn't find anybody to ask. I'll look again. Thanks.

Buy seeds, they grow quickly in Florida. Basil is the easiest,

[davem4616]

Thanks for all of that information. A few questions for you.
How large does a pineapple plant grow? How productive are they once they start producing?
Basil does well with southern exposure, do you recommend that for rosemary and oregano, as well?
Do the bunnies leave the herbs alone, generally?


Hi Laker14

The pineapples that we've been able to grow in TV get very close to the size that you'd find in the super market....now, here's what we do...

when you purchase a pineapple from the market cut the top off leaving about a 1/2 inch of flesh, place the top in a dark place for 4 days so that the bottom dries out, then place it in the ground with a southern exposure (we've tried east, west and it just doesn't work this far north....like it did when we were in Ft Lauderdale)...it will take about 18 months for the plant to produce one fruit...it will only produce one fruit at a time (the ornamental pineapple plant will produce multiple small fruit...and that plant spreads...it has more of a purplish color vs. the green of the edible one). The original plant will produce 'pups' after fruiting, only the new pups will fruit... sometime around April you'll see the top of the fruit forming in the crown of the plant, by late July it should be ready to harvest

Rosemary will grow just about anywhere down here as long as it's not in complete shade, we have the oregano on the east side (which gets a lot of sun) and that does well. The oregano will spread so you may want to keep that in a pot. The basil we generally have on the southern side and it will grow a tall as 3 feet. We've tried growing it inside the front screened in lanai that faces north and it didn't do well (no sun)

last winter the bunnies were so hungry they chomped on a lot of the pineapple leaves, but the plants survived. In the past the bunnies have gotten under the nets we had around out tomato plants that were in large pots

[ThirdOfFive]

I couldn't find any small herb plants in Lowe's today, also couldn't find anybody to ask. I'll look again. Thanks.
Lowe's keeps them outside, at the end of the outside plants closest to the main entrance. They're not easy to find.

You might try this: my wife is a fantastic cook and depends on fresh herbs. We've more or less turned our lanai into an herb garden. Some of the stuff we grow we've bought locally (rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano) but a lot of the stuff we grow, we start ourselves from shoots. For example, we have a licorice basil plant that is a staple in Thai cooking: we bought some fresh licorice basil last March, took a couple of the green tops (maybe three or four leaves, with a stem about 1" long), wrapped the bottom loosely in part of a napkin, and put it into a glass of water so that about half the plant is above the water line. Lowe's has some plant food that is designed for this; it comes in powder form. Dust the bottom of the shoots with a little of that before you wrap it up, and maybe mix a little in the water as well. In about two to three weeks the shoots will have what looks like little hairs on the bottom. You can transplant them into a pot at that time. Don't scrimp on the potting soil; get the best you can and be sure to grow it in an earthenware pot. Works for just about all herbs; (pennywort, lemongrass, just about anything the stores sell fresh) so you don't have to be limited by what Lowe's or any other place sells.

Another hint: if you cook with green-top onions (scallions) you can get a never-ending supply just by transplanting the bulbs after you've removed and used the green tops. Stick 'em in a pot of potting soil (again earthenware pot) and cover them completely with about 1/2 inch of soil over them. I use the barrel of a magic marker; it's about the same size as the bulbs. Poke six to eight holes in the potting soil (doesn't matter if they're crowded) cover them up and in about two weeks they'll sprout. Once they get big enough you can clip off the green shoots for cooking and the plants will keep on producing more and more. They do stop in a couple of months, but just buy more at Publix or wherever and repeat the process.

[diva1]

Yes. Home Depot on 27/441 has a selection of herbs right now. I bought some a few days ago.

[Jean G]

Basil gets very tall, oregano will take over the pot if shared with some thing else. I like two kinds of Thyme: lemon for salads and cold items and German for savory meats and soups. Those will spread also. I’ll food taste better with fresh spices.

[dp.reed]

Just moved to TV after over 30 years in Hawaii. mostly living near Oahu pineapple fields.
A pineapple plant will yield two pineapples. First after 18 months and second 12 months later. Harvest when they are a nice deep, yellow color for a really sweat pineapple. Cut off the top when you harvest a pineapple and plant it for your second pineapple plant.
Be careful of the leaves, they have sharp edges.

[Debboguch50]

I planted tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers in a garden planter that had a base you put water into then the planting area was elevated about 3 1/2 to 4 feet? The geckos had a feast while we had nothing. Removed plants and decided I would not try again I set the planter out by the curb, I hope however took it has had better luck than I did!

[gail swanson]

[QUOT=DAVES;2022300]You want to do some reading. Cherry tomatoes, off the top of my head, Sweet 100 is a popular cherry tomato. But it is an indeterminate variety-a huge plant. If, I recall there was one called tom thumb which has heavy stems and stays small. It does not produce that much fruit. Most herbs are basically weeds. Poor soil, stress from little water gives you the best flavor. You will probably do best buying seeds. Mint does well in pots and it is great in iced tea.[/QUOTE]

Basil is a lovely plant but needs to be picked often. Also chives make a nice plant. Rosemary is a great shrub but gets very large. Smells wonderful and very useful,

[MOMOH]

The absolute best place to buy herbs and vegetables is Bob Wines Nursery in Ocala. They have the best selection of healthy plants I've ever seen. They have many varieties to select from...for example: Spearmint, Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, Orange mint, etc. It's worth the trip up there but you may have to be mindful of the season.

[DaleDivine]

Thanks for all of that information. A few questions for you.
How large does a pineapple plant grow? How productive are they once they start producing?
Basil does well with southern exposure, do you recommend that for rosemary and oregano, as well?
Do the bunnies leave the herbs alone, generally?

I bought about $75 worth of wild sweet potato vines from Lowes. A purple and green mixture. Planted them around my front lawn.
The BUNNIES had a gourmet dinner on them. Chewed them right down to the nubs.
:ohdear::ohdear:

We have friends that have plants of different varieties growing in his bird cage off the ground and they do beautifully.

:bigbow::bigbow:

[LG999]

I usually buy those herbs & patio tomatoes at the home depot

[thelegges]

Grow all my herbs from seed, here take just a few weeks to get them going. Good starting potting soil, little water and you are on your way

[Boomer]

On my Christmas wishlist.....Lettuce Grow - Meet The Farmstand (https://www.lettucegrow.com/the-farmstand/?utm_source=IR&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=IR_aff_10078-Skimbit%20Ltd._nbcnews.com&utm_term=ONLINE_TRACKING_LINK&utm_content=776628_Online%20Tracking%20Link&irclickid=TGGx%3AJzCExyITPl2ylUq9zCEUkG023yfPzLi10 0&irgwc=1)


Thank you, Koapaka, for sharing this site.

I just spent a few minutes looking through it, am interested, and can take more time later to learn more. Brand new lettuce is one of my favorites and the only way to get it in its perfect state is to grow it yourself.

In the comment section, I saw that someone wrote about using it in a classroom. I used to grow amaryllis bulbs in my high school classroom. Even high school kids enjoyed seeing the progress each day of those fast-growing plants as they reached full bloom. One time we got 16 beautiful, huge, red blooms from one bulb — but that bulb must have been gifted or something.

Of course, with a vegetable garden in a classroom, the teacher probably would have to schlep it home during Christmas and other long breaks.

Anyway, thanks. You might have done some Christmas shopping for me.

Boomer

[Carla B]

On my Christmas wishlist.....Lettuce Grow - Meet The Farmstand (https://www.lettucegrow.com/the-farmstand/?utm_source=IR&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=IR_aff_10078-Skimbit%20Ltd._nbcnews.com&utm_term=ONLINE_TRACKING_LINK&utm_content=776628_Online%20Tracking%20Link&irclickid=TGGx%3AJzCExyITPl2ylUq9zCEUkG023yfPzLi10 0&irgwc=1)

Daughter gifted me with an Aero-Garden. You can find them on line. Here it is in our laundry room, about 3 weeks from planting. They come in several sizes. This one accommodates six herbs (or lettuce) and holds 3 quarts of water. They send seed pods and plant food with it.

[Lisamariatortilla]

I did the same. I went to Marion Flea Market and they have them pre-started in pots( they also have seeds). The guy working there will take you through a step-by-step process. I went back twice. Super inexpensive and all lived. So many varieties of everything. Its located on the east side of the building where the plants are. I bought the ones that already had peppers and tomatoes on them. Also bought all the spices ready to cut.

[DAVES]

I bought about $75 worth of wild sweet potato vines from Lowes. A purple and green mixture. Planted them around my front lawn.
The BUNNIES had a gourmet dinner on them. Chewed them right down to the nubs.
:ohdear::ohdear:

We have friends that have plants of different varieties growing in his bird cage off the ground and they do beautifully.

:bigbow::bigbow:

I am thankful I am a dilettante rather than a real farmer like many other posters, who grow whatever. I am growing blue berries. After the birds eat like 90% or them. they even eat green ones, they only cost me with cost of my home etc about $100 per quart.
Truth, mine are no better than you can buy.

[DAVES]

Thank you, Koapaka, for sharing this site.

I just spent a few minutes looking through it, am interested, and can take more time later to learn more. Brand new lettuce is one of my favorites and the only way to get it in its perfect state is to grow it yourself.

In the comment section, I saw that someone wrote about using it in a classroom. I used to grow amaryllis bulbs in my high school classroom. Even high school kids enjoyed seeing the progress each day of those fast-growing plants as they reached full bloom. One time we got 16 beautiful, huge, red blooms from one bulb — but that bulb must have been gifted or something.

Of course, with a vegetable garden in a classroom, the teacher probably would have to schlep it home during Christmas and other long breaks.

Anyway, thanks. You might have done some Christmas shopping for me.

Boomer


Re: Amaryllis

They are marginally hearty in the villages. I've been growing them for years in my garden. You need good drainage. I do not take them out. They are heavy feeders so lots of fertilizer when they are growing. On cold winter days I do cover them at night

The ones sold for the holiday season have been conditioned to bloom in december. They would normally bloom in the spring. You cannot take one of those and immediately put it in your garden and expect it to survive. You need to follow instructions for storing it and plant it in the spring. It will take two seasons to get into it's normal cycle.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I bought a small potted rosemary plant (was maybe 4" tall), a dying 4-pack of basil, and a dried out nearly-dead italian oregano pot along with a nicely growing potted greek oregano, and 2 echinacea plants, both very small but healthy. Got them all at Lowe's, the dying plants were around a buck on the "these are dead, take them cheap or they're getting thrown away in 3 days" rack. I also bought a lemon-thyme plant, I think at Walmart.

The rosemary is around 2.5-feet tall and over 3 feet in diameter, after I cut it back significantly. It's finally outgrown its ENORMOUS pot and is starting to die from root-rot, so I'll likely replace it next year. When you cut it back, the rosemary oil sticks to your fingers like tar and takes a couple of hours to wear off. Pot-grown rosemary is a pain, and very messy to maintain.

The greek oregano was in a shallow pot and suffered root-rot and died, and the italian oregano is flowering and doing great, and its roots have pushed through the hole in the pot and is now firmly ensconced in the flowerbed. I harvest the oregano every few months to keep it from getting overcrowded and killing itself. It's almost as big as the rosemary bush and around 3 times more dense.

The echinacea only flowers once a year, and I'm pretty much decided the flowers are unattractive so I'll probably replace them with some other herb in march.

The basil has managed to survive the whole year as four straight stalks with sickly looking yellow leaves that actually taste just fine with tomatoes and feta and olive oil, but the first freeze will kill them. The lemon-thyme does great - it dies in the winter and comes back in the spring, and sometimes gets pretty tiny little flowers on the ends of the stems. Tastes great with roasted chicken and roasted potatoes.

I have a bunch of other things growing in the front flowerbed but those are the herbs.

My garden is 100% organic (except for the original seeding method, which I'm sure was with the evil Miracle Gro) and unmaintained: I don't fertilize at all, I don't water, I don't use any weedkiller or pesticides. If nature intends for it to grow it'll grow. If nature intends for it to die, it'll die. I do weed the garden regularly (it doesn't really need much weeding) and harvest the herbs for cooking (except the echinacea).

[Smschiller08]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,

I just planted my salad and herb garden in birdcage. I talked to Master Gardener from gardeningsolutions, UF-IFAS. She told me most big box stores sell the local varieties. Still some at HDepot and Lowe’s. Also on that site is a calendar for monthly planting. If you find any acorn or butternut squash seeds, buy two. I’ll pick them up.

[DAVES]

Hi Y'all,
I just purchased a small plant cart for the lanai. I want to grow some fresh herbs, maybe a cherry tomato plant. Rosemary, oregano, basil, cilantro, maybe something else as well.
Are there any nurseries near TV that would have the plants already started?
Anybody reading this who has done this?
Thanks,

Hope it helps. We just left the villages wallmart on Wedgwood lane. 11/2/21 about 4:00.
In the front of the garden plant section they just got in several of the plants mentioned.

[DAVES]

I bought a small potted rosemary plant (was maybe 4" tall), a dying 4-pack of basil, and a dried out nearly-dead italian oregano pot along with a nicely growing potted greek oregano, and 2 echinacea plants, both very small but healthy. Got them all at Lowe's, the dying plants were around a buck on the "these are dead, take them cheap or they're getting thrown away in 3 days" rack. I also bought a lemon-thyme plant, I think at Walmart.

The rosemary is around 2.5-feet tall and over 3 feet in diameter, after I cut it back significantly. It's finally outgrown its ENORMOUS pot and is starting to die from root-rot, so I'll likely replace it next year. When you cut it back, the rosemary oil sticks to your fingers like tar and takes a couple of hours to wear off. Pot-grown rosemary is a pain, and very messy to maintain.

The greek oregano was in a shallow pot and suffered root-rot and died, and the italian oregano is flowering and doing great, and its roots have pushed through the hole in the pot and is now firmly ensconced in the flowerbed. I harvest the oregano every few months to keep it from getting overcrowded and killing itself. It's almost as big as the rosemary bush and around 3 times more dense.

The echinacea only flowers once a year, and I'm pretty much decided the flowers are unattractive so I'll probably replace them with some other herb in march.

The basil has managed to survive the whole year as four straight stalks with sickly looking yellow leaves that actually taste just fine with tomatoes and feta and olive oil, but the first freeze will kill them. The lemon-thyme does great - it dies in the winter and comes back in the spring, and sometimes gets pretty tiny little flowers on the ends of the stems. Tastes great with roasted chicken and roasted potatoes.

I have a bunch of other things growing in the front flowerbed but those are the herbs.

My garden is 100% organic (except for the original seeding method, which I'm sure was with the evil Miracle Gro) and unmaintained: I don't fertilize at all, I don't water, I don't use any weedkiller or pesticides. If nature intends for it to grow it'll grow. If nature intends for it to die, it'll die. I do weed the garden regularly (it doesn't really need much weeding) and harvest the herbs for cooking (except the echinacea).

Re: rosemary
No experience with it. Dirty hands plenty of experience.
Learned from my uncle who was a printer. Try it. Dried corn meal. I think the course works better. Put it in your palm and add liquid dish soap and wash your hands. Cheap, it works great and is easier on your hands than typical commercial products. Oily dirt.
try cooking oil-corn oil etc.

Re: echiacea
I never herd that called a herb. It is sold as a flower-painted daisy. Where we used to live, I tried growing it several times and it died. Perhaps it was too cold. It is supposed to be good for preventing colds. Depending on what you read that is debatable. I've also read you are not supposed to use it long term.

[DAVES]

I just planted my salad and herb garden in birdcage. I talked to Master Gardener from gardeningsolutions, UF-IFAS. She told me most big box stores sell the local varieties. Still some at HDepot and Lowe’s. Also on that site is a calendar for monthly planting. If you find any acorn or butternut squash seeds, buy two. I’ll pick them up.

You need to read and beware, I used to have a huge collection of peonies. It is too hot here for them. Yet all the box stores sell them from boxed displays