My Herb Garden is dead!!?

Question

I planted a lovely little herb garden in about June last yeat, full of mint, oregano, marjoram, chive, parsley and so on and so on.
It grew fantastically, but then over winter, I just neglected it and left it to die.
Will it re-grow? will the herbs be safe to use in my cooking?
Or should I pull the lot up and start again?

Answer 1

R.I P, the herbs,Just wait and see what grows and replace what does not.Plenty time yet.

Answer 2

herbs do not become poisenous if they have died ,dry what you can save

and start again
did you mulch the plot to guard it from frost??
dont pull anything up ,if the roots are ok they will come again

just cut all the dead leaves and branches and leave them around the plant (or use them in the cooking if they are just dry and not rotten)and add some sw dust so that you get a cover which guards the roots

put maybe some plastic over it (temporary) to increase the sun power,do you use a shade net or is there some shade ,lots of herbs like half shade

here are some notes on mulch

MULCH
what you do is to cover the ground with mulch which is the same principal as compost but it includes the whole garden surface
the top part of the soil where the topsoil is being produced houses a world or microbiotic life.

Mulch is organic material green or dry that covers the ground,the thicker the better the composting process will turn it in to black topsoil

the humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the devellopment of worms(their exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together with the mulch produce more topsoil.

the mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surfave if on unprotected land

Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and, lay it open to wind erosian.




http://spaces.msn.com/byderule )

a good book that has a very large section on soil and some of the things mentioned is --a designers manual by Bill Mollison

Answer 3

I don't know where you live. I am in Jersey. They all die out in the winter. Oregano, mint {with vengeance} chives and parsley will come back. Chives and mint can be very invasive. But ahhh the scents. We raise Basil which is an annual. All the others come up every year. I start some herbs around now. I brought in a big oregano plant but it still goes dormant in winter. I love herbs and flowers and another pretty herb is catnip that comes up every year. Of course our cats like us to bring it in but I would have it anyway. Very pretty purple flowered plant. Here in Jersey I can't wait to put sandals on so I can wiggle my toes and start smelling the spring scents. Good Luck and don't worry. They have their time of rest.

Answer 4

Well the parsley will need replacing I expect but the mint will LIVE FOREVER lol so will the chives. Best thing is to see what you planted see if it comes back. Get a good herb book and re plant what naturally dies off. Gardening is all learning and trial and error. That's the fun of it. xx

Answer 5

a lot of herbs are perennial. Mint and chives are for sure. I don't think parsley is.. cut back all of the old, dead growth now and see what happens in the spring.

Worst case, you can always get those little cups of herbs and replant. they probably cost 2 bucks each and you can start your herb garden over.

Answer 6

The plants are only just starting to grow. Beware of the mint it could spread everywhere, remove unwanted suckers. Remove dead leaves and fork a little feriliser around the other plants. This will feed them and spark them into new growth. Watch drainage, some herbs like it dry,eg thyme, others,eg mint prefer moist areas.

Answer 7

I reckon most of it will regrow, just wait 'til around end of April / middle of May to see what happens.. if not, start again.

For further help, I suggest (if you haven't got it already) purchasing a copy of "The Vegetable & Herb Expert" by D.G. Hessayon (£7.99)
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/jdcouk-garden-21/detail/0903505460/203-9338484-3266364

Answer 8

They may be dormant for the winter months. Some of the stuff you have may not make it through the winter months and need replacing. Look up each on the Internet and find out about them individually.

Answer 9

every spring i dig mine up and start over... it may re-grow if you just leave it, but it will have many weeds and it will be hard to tell between some weeds and some herbs... and the order you had it in last year will be all changed....

Answer 10

Wait til everything sprouts so you can see what will have to be replaced. Some of them are annuals no matter where you live. Others will be with you for life!