Northern Michigan Food and Wine: Fresh Northern Michigan herbs, anytime you want them. Heck, yeah. A pot of Italian herbs with oregano, basil and thyme; or maybe a salsa pot with peppers and cilantro. Anybody can grow herbs, asserts Carol Morris. She’s proprietor of Traverse City's Breeze Hill Greenhouse, which scored the most online votes for favorite nursery/greenhouse in our Red Hot Best competition. breezehillgreenhouse.com.
THE STRATEGY:
1. Use a pot larger than 14 inches in diameter. The bigger the better; drainage holes necessary, says our expert.
2. Plant in a professional soil mix. Definitely do not use fresh manure (and really, who would want to?).
3. Don’t overcrowd the pot—no more than five plants in a 14-inch pot.
4. Give your herbs at least five hours direct sun.
5. Water frequently (or install drip irrigation—not as hard as you might think). Let the pot dry slightly in between waterings.
6. Start cutting plants when the sprigs are maybe 4–5 inches long.
7. Continue to cut because the more you cut the more the plants grow, and the fresher the herbs will be.