Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
You Will Need
2 to 4 herb seedlings
1 large pot
Coffee filter or garden fabric
Potting soil
Pea gravel and other filler
First, select your seedlings, making sure each requires the same amount of water and sun. Beth Mattingly of the Webster Groves Herb Society (wgherbs.org) says in her “Paul Simon days,” she would have chosen parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, which offers some visual variety. Then select a pot. “Note that plastic pots hold in more water, while clay is porous,” WGHS’s Barbara Manson says. The former can help in St. Louis summers, as can fully covering roots with soil. Gray herbs, she says, seem to need less water.
Place a coffee filter or scrap of garden fabric over the drainage hole before adding soil. Saucers under pots can be bad for plants—the roots get “wet feet.” Your neighborhood nursery can advise you on the best potting mix. Avoid using backyard dirt, which can harbor pests. Lighten larger pots with filler at the bottom, such as pea gravel and pottery shards.
Create wells in the soil for your seedlings, tuck them in, and top the soil with pea gravel to deter birds and squirrels. Explore various groupings—the WGHS sells tea gardens, spaghetti gardens, and more during its annual sale in April.
By Anita Joggerst, Barbara Manson, and Beth Mattingly
