Plants in the garage

23 September 2023, 09:56 AM

Steve Miller

If I move my potted plants to the garage for the winter, will I have to water them? How often?

I’m thinking of thyme, rosemary and sage. The garage has a window.

23 September 2023, 10:24 AM

Mikhailoh

Won't be enough sun for herbs. I have trouble growing them in winter on a wall of huge south facing windows.

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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch

23 September 2023, 11:17 AM

wtg

Agree with Mik. Have never had good luck overwintering herbs indoors, even under grow lights. They get super spindly and don't thrive.

As I recall, sage and thyme will survive winter in the ground outside. Around here people treat rosemary like an annual. You do see rosemary plants pop up in stores during the winter, often pruned into topiary shaped like a Christmas tree, so you can eke out a few more weeks/months of fresh herbs that way.

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When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier

23 September 2023, 12:29 PM

RealPlayer

Agree with all of the above. Most herbs are sun-lovers. Think of dry, sun-drenched hillsides in Italy or Greece.

I don’t have any luck with them indoors. Even in our bright east-facing room that we call the “solarium”.

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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

23 September 2023, 04:59 PM

dolmansaxlil

I have tried keeping thyme, sage, and rosemary indoors for years and its never survived the winter. I need to look into the best way to harvest and preserve them. Has anyone tried any great methods? I have a food dehydrator, but I don’t know if there are better options.

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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

23 September 2023, 07:56 PM

Doug

I keep waiting for piano*dad to jump into the conversation and point out that planting herbs in the garage can be a waste of thyme…

23 September 2023, 08:03 PM

jodi

Yes. You wont’ need to water as often as you would in the summer. And they will get leggy and you will have to prune them way back in the spring, but they will likely survive. As to watering - they will mold if you water too much, though I lost the rosemary last year because I didn’t water it enough. I have several variegated geraniums in ceramic pots that I overwinter (they can go for quite awhile without water - 3 weeks or so) and I overwinter pots of amaryllis bulbs, rosemary and lavender, and a fuschia, and this spiky dracaenea thing that came in a planter with petunias - the petunias died, but the spiky plant has now had multiple winters in the garage and I bring it out every spring and it still looks great.

23 September 2023, 08:15 PM

jodi

Except for the new rosemary, these have survived overwintering in the garage. (And we have long winters).

24 September 2023, 12:06 AM

Steve Miller

quote:
Originally posted by dolmansaxlil:
I have tried keeping thyme, sage, and rosemary indoors for years and it’s never survived the winter. I need to look into the best way to harvest and preserve them. Has anyone tried any great methods? I have a food dehydrator, but I don’t know if there are better options.

I vacuum sealed and froze most of my crop last year and that worked out pretty well. The parsley and basil didn’t look like much when I thawed them out but they tasted fine. Sage, Rosemary and Thyme were every bit as good as the “fresh” herbs I’m able to get at the grocery store in winter.

The Basil I blanched first to help keep its color. That worked but I don’t know if it was really necessary.

24 September 2023, 12:15 AM

Mikhailoh

Vac sealing is a great idea!

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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch

24 September 2023, 01:25 AM

Steve Miller

quote:
Originally posted by Mikhailoh:
Vac sealing is a great idea!

.

For making stock, soup, or stuffing, the frozen herbs work just fine.

I would like to avoid paying $6 a plant in the spring to start a new crop but it’s really not a big deal. I may stick a random rosemary plant in the ground to see what happens.