Overwintering herbs

[RedClayGardener]

Has anyone ever kept tarragon and thyme through the winter? I have a sun room that I keep plants in and have had mixed success keeping them alive. Should I divide them before I bring them in? If they are going to die, I will just harvest and dry the leaves. Any tips would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[HiDelight]

sometimes just cutting it back and mulching well is enough to keep it until the folowing year ..it can handle some cold but the frost is what seems to kill it

 

[Reinbeau]

Both tarragon and thyme are hardy here, so they're definitely hardy in NC. If you want to bring it in to grow for cooking, you can try, but I don't think either one of these do well indoors. I've picked thyme in mid-winter, it grows when it gets warm enough. Can't speak to whether or not tarragon does the same thing.

 

[vfem]

I am going to make a stab at my thyme in the house in a southern facing kitchen window! Good luck!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there

I think it is more of a drainage problem. All of those herbs respond to being grown in well-drained soil & hate being in soggy soil. Try some outside in a protected area, some indoors in a very cool but light room but the pots need sharp drainage. If you leave some in the ground add lots of gravel to the soil & be prepared to rush out with floating fleece if the forecast is bad.

I am a great one for trying several methods -- I have problems with Tarragon, Lemon Verbena & Corsican Mint ( this year I am trying Reinbeau's advice -- another post -- for the C. Mint). I have already taken a lot of cuttings of the Verbena & Tarragon which I will take inside. I find herbs inside do OK but only if you don't overwater. I try to keep them together so they have their own micro climates & I spray the air around them like I do the orchids.

Hope that helps!

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, the only reason you might have trouble overwintering them is poor drainage (low spot, or clay soil, or whatever). If you plant some on a rise in well-draining soil they should be no problem for you.

For locations that do not get standing water but the soil is maybe more water retentive than herbs would like, you could experiment with putting a little 'roof' over them to reduce the amount of rainwater that falls on them. You want something like a sheet of translucent or clear plastic or glass, up on legs *WELL ABOVE* the plant itself so you are not creating a greenhouse just sort of putting up an umbrella if that makes sense.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat, who has not had any trouble getting several different thymes through the winter up here, although I gather that good French tarragon is a little iffy this far north (the Russian stuff is bone hardy)

 

[vfem]

Oh hooray! I have 90% of my herbs in pots where I lined the bottoms with pebbles before planting and left them sitting on old plates.

 

[RedClayGardener]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I will repot them now and experiment with where to put them.