Our tips for growing herbs effectively

Using a good quality potting mix if growing in pots is the key to growing great herbs. When purchasing potting mix don't buy the cheaper versions as they have lots of fillers and will dry out quickly and you will need to water your herbs so much more. 

Growing in pots or the garden. Pots can't get nutrients from the ground as they are contained in a pot so liquid fertilising them helps a lot. Mum always use to tell me that if medicine tasted horrible it was good for me. So if your liquid fertiliser smells awful it's going to help your plants. Fish based liquid fertilisers are fantastic. Most of our customers at the markets grow in gardens. Herbs and greens will draw from nutrients in the soil if they can. We add mushroom compost and cow manure or a home-made compost is amazing. The plants will love it.

When we pot our herbs we mix in a slow release fertiliser in our potting mix. It gives the plants a small amount of fertiliser over a 5-6 month period. We don't liquid fertilise our herbs before you purchase them from us. 

Through the hot months of the year it's very important to mulch. We use Sugar Cane Mulch from a farmer located in Brisbane. Our local community organises a truck full and he comes and drops what we have all ordered direct to our door. It not only keeps our gardens moist but helps in adding nutrient back into our soil.

If your herbs or green are turning yellow it normally means that they are nutrient deficient. Giving them a dose of liquid fertiliser or worm juice broken down one part worm juice to ten parts water will help them a lot. You can do this once a fortnight or once a month. 

The soil in our gardens is very dry and compacted. So we add mushroom compost and cow manure to our gardens to help add back in some benefit for the plants. Paul tells me that too much mushroom compost will change the Ph of the soil so be careful not to use too much.

Our most asked question at the markets is how much do my herbs need to be watered. Garden Mint and all varieties of Mint love water. Before water restrictions and us all watching every drop of water on our farms Mint would have grown under a dripping tank. But now it just needs to find a spot that is a bit more moist. Generally our rule for growing on our farm is that all the plants are either grown in half sun and half shade or the tougher leaves will tolerate a bit more sun. Through Summer the softer leaf varieties need a bit more protection from the scorching heat.