Herbs Growing In My Organic Garden Over Winter

If you’re new to organic gardening, you may start to panic as winter sets in and you see some of your herbs starting to dissappear! But please don’t worry too much.

You see, some herbs die back during winter. The leaves may wither and die, but the bulk of the plant which is underground will be fine – just waiting for the temperature to rise again – then it will shoot out gorgeous, healthy new leaves all through spring, summer and maybe autumn.

Not all herbs do this though. Some will just loose most of their leaves, then shoot with gusto in spring. Others thrive through winter, including rosemary, lavender, parsley, lovage, bay, mints – to name a few. The herbs I grow that die back through winter include comfrey, horseradish, chives to some extent and french tarragon.

Bear in mind that here in the Barossa Valley – South Australia, it might get down to freezing overnight, but not all that often. Sometimes we get frosts too. Usually during the day we have temperatures between about 10°C to 18°C through winter.

If you have really cold winters in your area, you can try keeping some of your herbs in pots and bringing them indoors through winter. You’ll need a sunny aspect to keep them healthy and remember that you won’t need to water very much. This way you can get the most from your herbs all year round, whether they are in your organic garden, a conservatory or by a bright window.

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Julie

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