By: Susan Gail Wood | South Texas Unit of The Herb Society of America
Planting Calendar
- Cool season annuals to plant or start from seed in October and November: dill, parsley, fennel, borage, coriander / cilantro, calendula. and nasturtium. They flower and set seed next spring; die back once the weather heats up in April. Let ripe seed fall for volunteer plants next fall.
- Perennial herbs for October or November: rosemary, lavender, catnip, culinary & ornamental sage, bay, oregano, Mexican mint marigold, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon verbena and mints.
- Rosemary: do not let it go for more than a day or two in overly dry soil since it has very shallow roots.
- Lavender: plant in October or November and keep it from rotting during wet summers by adding lots of sand or pea gravel.
- Catnip: place a wire basket over the heart of plant to protect the base from cats who love to nibble the leaves and roll on it.
- Grey herbs like catnip & culinary sage do not appreciate consistently damp soil. Ornamental salvias: indigo spires, Mexican bush sage, Argentine skies and black & blue salvia bloom year around given at least 4 hours sun.
- Bay: if attacked by scale or a black sooty mold, it’s in too much shade. Use a hard blast of water on all leaf surfaces every day until pests, including aphids, are until gone
- Oregano is easy to grow, forming large clumps that need to be divided every 3 years since fertilizer and compost can’t reach the plant interior.
- Mexican mint marigold, called “Texas tarragon”, has yellow blossoms in the fall and grows beautifully throughout our hot, humid summer unlike true tarragon.
- Lemon verbena: mulch, water, and cover before freezes to protect this tender herb. Slow to bud out in spring: water and wait.
- Lemongrass, lemon balm and mints all thrive in fall weather.
