Lizzie, I don't know what variety they are but even the size of the leaves seems to indicate they're not determinates (bush variety). Imagine the plant(s) standing upright rather than flopped over and you'll get a better idea of their size.
It sounds like Mizzli has been seriously led astray with some of those instructions that came with the packages.
I went to a talk given last year by the herb expert Jekka MacVicar. She said that supermarket herbs are grown specifically to have a short life span. She doesn't grow for supermarkets, and she didn't say what they do to ensure this.
I just found this though: ]About supermarket herbsabout supermarket herbs. It appears that they just put too many plans in one pot.
I've planted out parsley from a supermarket pot after it started to look disreputable, and it grew brilliantly.
Blueboots, the supermarket herbs are hot-house grown and forced as well as over-sown. They will live on if you repot them early and treat with some TLC till they establish themselves.
Thanks for the really useful information, Italophile. I will def look at making another trip to get some more pots and stalks to tie the tomato plants. This might sound shocking but I think there were at least a dozen or more seeds in that packet and we were told to sow all at the same time. I think I will throw away the weakest stalks and just keep a few of the strongest as space is somewhat limited on our tiny balcony.
I am actually getting to the point of being extremely annoyed with the Boots, supermarket and B&Q bought grow your own packs. They provide you with the soil, seeds and pot and tell you to sow all of the seeds in the packet without telling you to repot or plant in a garden (which we don't have anyway). For someone with very little knowledge about gardening, it was getting really confusing why all of my homegrown herbs and fruits just wilted and died so soon after germinating. I bought a grow light, plant food, kept the temps warm and kept it watered. Thank God, I found this forum!
Blueboots, thanks for the link - that site is very resourceful. It's actually worrying that these places are setting amateur gardeners up to fail. From now on, I will plant only four/five seeds in a pot! I'm actually wondering if my mint plant is at the end of it's lifespan now as I've given it a bigger pot, took it outside and it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference.
You can't kill mint - I'd chop them back quite short (use the prunings with new potatoes, peas, mint sauce etc) and leave them on the balcony - let them get dryish between waterings. Stand well back - as the weather warms up they'll really begin to grow
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Mint lasts for years, as Dove and I have said "prune it" you could feed it a little fertiliser then put it outside and let it grow, which it won't do overnight!
When growing tomatoes, you sow the seeds into small pots, 1 or 2 seeds a pot, or little trays, seeds about an inch apart. When they are about an inch tall with their first true leaves you take them out gently, holding them by the leaves and put each plant into a bigger pot with new compost and put them somewhere warm and light. Then when they are about 6 - 12 ins tall you transplant them into new much bigger pots or growbags or outside in soil once the frosts are over. Next year you will know all about it and you'll have super tomatoes. Much tastier than shop bought.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Greenp12 - thanks for the tip! I will certainly try that. I'm planning a visit to the garden centre this weekend so will look for some alongside my greenhouse!
Posts
Glad you explained properly Italophile. I couldn't tell how big they are from the photo, so I thought they were smaller than they really are.
Lizzie, I don't know what variety they are but even the size of the leaves seems to indicate they're not determinates (bush variety). Imagine the plant(s) standing upright rather than flopped over and you'll get a better idea of their size.
It sounds like Mizzli has been seriously led astray with some of those instructions that came with the packages.
I went to a talk given last year by the herb expert Jekka MacVicar. She said that supermarket herbs are grown specifically to have a short life span. She doesn't grow for supermarkets, and she didn't say what they do to ensure this.
I just found this though: ]About supermarket herbsabout supermarket herbs. It appears that they just put too many plans in one pot.
I've planted out parsley from a supermarket pot after it started to look disreputable, and it grew brilliantly.
Apparently Morrison's herbs are good for growing, and cheaper than most: Growing Morrisons herbs
I'm just off to split the herbs on my windowsill now!
Blueboots, the supermarket herbs are hot-house grown and forced as well as over-sown. They will live on if you repot them early and treat with some TLC till they establish themselves.
Hi all,
Thanks for the really useful information, Italophile. I will def look at making another trip to get some more pots and stalks to tie the tomato plants. This might sound shocking but I think there were at least a dozen or more seeds in that packet and we were told to sow all at the same time. I think I will throw away the weakest stalks and just keep a few of the strongest as space is somewhat limited on our tiny balcony.
I am actually getting to the point of being extremely annoyed with the Boots, supermarket and B&Q bought grow your own packs. They provide you with the soil, seeds and pot and tell you to sow all of the seeds in the packet without telling you to repot or plant in a garden (which we don't have anyway). For someone with very little knowledge about gardening, it was getting really confusing why all of my homegrown herbs and fruits just wilted and died so soon after germinating. I bought a grow light, plant food, kept the temps warm and kept it watered. Thank God, I found this forum!
Blueboots, thanks for the link - that site is very resourceful. It's actually worrying that these places are setting amateur gardeners up to fail. From now on, I will plant only four/five seeds in a pot! I'm actually wondering if my mint plant is at the end of it's lifespan now as I've given it a bigger pot, took it outside and it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference.
You can't kill mint - I'd chop them back quite short (use the prunings with new potatoes, peas, mint sauce etc) and leave them on the balcony - let them get dryish between waterings. Stand well back - as the weather warms up they'll really begin to grow
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Mint lasts for years, as Dove and I have said "prune it" you could feed it a little fertiliser then put it outside and let it grow, which it won't do overnight!
When growing tomatoes, you sow the seeds into small pots, 1 or 2 seeds a pot, or little trays, seeds about an inch apart. When they are about an inch tall with their first true leaves you take them out gently, holding them by the leaves and put each plant into a bigger pot with new compost and put them somewhere warm and light. Then when they are about 6 - 12 ins tall you transplant them into new much bigger pots or growbags or outside in soil once the frosts are over. Next year you will know all about it and you'll have super tomatoes. Much tastier than shop bought.
Mizzli, those instructions are just irresponsible.
Dove and Lizzie are right, usually you can't kill mint with an axe. In the ground, it can be an invasive pest.
Hi all, thanks again for your advice.
Greenp12 - thanks for the tip! I will certainly try that. I'm planning a visit to the garden centre this weekend so will look for some alongside my greenhouse!