Preventing Herbs from Getting Leggy

TheGardenLady received this question from Sarah:

My daughter and I planted 3 herbs from a pretty herb kit we got as a gift –
basil, parsley and thyme.  They’ve come up, but are pretty spindly.  Are they
just not getting enough light?  Or, is there anything else we can do?

                 

The Nov. 13th column on Indoor Herb Gardens stresses the need for sun. It says that herbs need a minimum of 4 to 5 hours of sunlight.  But a maximum number of hours of sunlight is preferable for the herbs to really thrive. More information on raising herbs can be found on this website. Many herbs are native to Mediterranean countries where the sun is bright for their growing season. Thus when you keep a plant indoors, you try to give the plant what it likes best. So if you have a sunny southern exposure, your herbs will be happiest.

To get the herbs to grow bushier, you should pinch off the terminal bud of the plants and pinch off any flowers you see. The more you snip off these buds, the better.

Herbs, native to the Mediterranean where it is dry, don’t like their roots to be too wet; so make sure the soil is well drained. You can let the soil dry between watering.

Let TheGardenLady know if you and your daughter can now coax your herbs to grow bushier.

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