When should I plant herbs?

[joycespell]

I am new to growing herbs and i had trans-planted a mint plant and it was fairly large in the beginning of winter in a warm room with plenty of sunlight and water and it died within a week! I had heard it was because i had planted it deeper than what it was when i got it. Does anyone have any tips on herb planting?!?

 

[digitS']

Welcome, Joycespell

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Perhaps it was because of the depth of the plant in the soil. I am wondering, however, if interrupting the plant's transition to dormancy might have something to do with it dying.

Mint doesn't require much light when it is outdoors and, certainly, grows in cool parts of the world. Starting new plants outdoors usually works fine.

Mint plants are notoriously hardy tough and, even, invasive. There are some varieties that aren't quite as robust as others. Mint plants will make roots along their stems and cuttings are the usual way to start new ones. Was it a cutting?

Steve

 

[joycespell]

Thanks digitS'
No it wasn't a cutting, it was the whole plant I had dug up from a grown over garden. It was one of the last plants.

 

[digitS']

There could also have been a problem with the soil - either to start with or, over time
The organisms that cause decay began to work on that plant tissue and it was on a downhill path.

Perhaps you can get back to that garden and find another of those mint plants just as it begins to grow in the spring. The vigor of those plants will be much different from one that is sliding into dormancy.

I have related here my experience with Chocolate mint. It is growing in one of the shadiest places in my yard. Much more shady than where the other mints are. They, at least, have a good deal of morning sunlight. The Chocolate Mint barely survives thru the winters. There are a few "bits" of it each spring that begin to grow and soon, it looks like the toughest mint around! But, once winter hits - it has been in trouble for every one of the 6 or 7 winters that I have had it.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Howdy and welcome!

It sounds like transplant shock, in addition to maybe too deep a planting.

But mints are very forgiving about their depth. Most of them anyway. Actually, being that the beginning of winter coincides with the dormancy or semidormancy that mints go into, unless you are certain, it just may have gone dormant. You could try using an old pair of heavy scissors or pruners and cut it back to a few inches above ground level and give it a wait and see if it comes back next spring.

Though some mints may be rare, most are common and easy to replace. A good number of nurseries keep in stock several types of mints.

Much of the country here in the states have local wild mint varieties, each with unique flavors. One that grows wild here was used by the Pomo Indians as birth control, though there seems to be no evidence it actually is any kind of birth control. There are also some very strong and vigorous ones that grow in the valleys near here. You might consider finding a common one in the wild near you.

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Each of the different kinds of herb has different cultural requirements. Fennel starts from seed easily enough, and is biennial.
Rosemary plants can sometimes be tricky to care for through their first few winters, anywhere.
Lavender grows perennialy outside easily enough zones 6 and south, with care in zone 5, and in zone 4 requires luck and lots of care, best in a pot brought in for winter. Pretty much the same for most Oreganos.
Coriander is a quick growing annual, as is Basil.

Which herbs are you growing besides the mint?

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome Joycespell! I had a similar experience last year with orange mint. It was a container plant that I brought in before winter and it just languished. I set it back outside in the summer and it came back. I think it was like digitS suggested and it had begun going dormant.

Yours may not actually be dead, it may surprise you and come back this spring.

 

[ducks4you]

OMGosh, WHO was it here that didn't think you should EVER plant mint outside, but always in a container bc it spreads like the plague?!?
Anyway, I'm pretty sure too that it went dormant. Mint is rather invasive bc it send out shoots underground. I would wait until Spring to replace it. I grew spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint in places that were growing only weeds. They were too close to buildings, you see, and they've done a nice job of snuffing out weeds. I like to mow my mint and mulch my vegetable beds with it. I also make a mean mint sauce.