Raising a proper herb culture

Steve Kawaratani

“Are you going to Catharine’s garden:

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.”

-- SUNG TO SCARBOURGH FAIR

“Better a dinner of herbs than an ox ... “

-- ATTRIBUTED TO A MID-16TH

CENTURY ENGLISH VEGAN

The patch of blue sky sent Catharine’s normal, hyper, energy into

overdrive this past weekend. I had barely wandered from home for an

hour, but my return found a deck filled with containers, potting

soil, and parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, plus basil and chives.

“You’ll be a true love of mine, if you help me plant my herbs,” she

said.

Our front deck is a perfect location for herb culture -- its

Western orientation is ideal, as most herbs require at least six

hours of sunlight in mild Laguna. Catharine’s culinary herbs are

natural, cultural mates for containers and are within easy picking

distance of our adjacent kitchen.

Lastly, our deck had not yet been graced with any plants.

Catharine selected galvanized, steel containers to complement the

siding of our house, but planted into plastic liners, as the metal

would corrode if planted into directly. Plastic and glazed pots are

nonporous and require less watering than wood or clay containers, an

important consideration due to busy schedules.

Potting soil is a must for container plants -- it is formulated to

allow for water and air penetration, while retaining moisture. This

translates to unrestricted root growth and happier plants. Don’t be

tempted to use your garden soil as it is too dense and is not

suitable for containers.

We water our herbs whenever the soil feels dry half an inch

beneath the surface.

Although Catharine selected smaller containers, I recommend larger

ones (at least 18 inches in diameter) so watering doesn’t become a

daily ritual. Our metal containers serve as a saucer, so we raised

the plastic pots with gravel to avoid over watering from the bottom.

If you use saucers, always discard the excess water.

Nutrients are leached out quickly in container plants. I recommend

fertilizing at half-strength, every two weeks from the spring through

autumn. Again considering schedules, nine month, timed-release

fertilizers are available.

Catharine is now considering a suitable location for lavender, to

prepare coronets for members of the Design Review Board. Her

reasoning is not related to academic attire, but strictly practical

-- lavender stimulates the mind toward calmer thoughtfulness. And for

those who opine and make decisions; fresh, subtle thoughts have never

hurt. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1278 Glenneyre St., in Laguna Beach. He is married to local artist,

Catharine Cooper, and has three cats. He can be reached at (949)

497-2438, or e-mail to plantm@lagunanursery.com.