Question
I started an herb garden for the first time this year and I have a few questions. I live in NC (which I think is zone 7) and I a planted cilantro, oregano, basil, rosemary and a few vegetables (tomatoes and yellow squash). Now that the sun has finally come out, the cilantro is growing and the newer leaves at the top are shaped a little differently. Do those leaves need to be trimmmed, so that the plant can grow bushier? Does basil need to be trimmed also?
And my last question is about fertilizer...how often and any suggestions about brand names?

Answer
Leslie:
The cilantro is trying to go to seed. It hates all the water we have been getting and the variety may be aa fast bolting kind. The best seed is 'slo bolt' or''santo'. They are carried by Johnny's selected seeds. They have a web site. I have a pruning schedule that I made up since there are none mentioned in herb books. This works for all herbs that you are not saving for flowers. After flowering, you may start the pruning.
The fertilizer should be organic. I recommend the seaweed/fish liquid fertilizer. It can be found in some health food stores or Whole Food Markets. There is also a straight liquid fish fertilizer that is in most lawn centers.

How & When to Prune Your Herbs

www.askthisherbman.com                      [email protected]

There seems to be very little info on when and how much to prune our herbs.                                

I have a little formula that I now use that may help you to have healthier and productive plants.                                                  To tell you the truth, I did not practice this myself until I started to experiment with pruning the rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme. What a difference I saw in this timely pruning!

As new growth begins in the spring and gets to 6 to 12 inches, cut 1/3 from the top down on each stem, SPARE NO ONE! This will be done every 3 weeks or less, depending on how much you use the plant.

Don't go over 3 weeks without cutting it, even if you don't need to use it!                                                                      

Make an herbal vinegar, freeze, give away or if scented, place in old stocking, tie in a knot and put into your dryer, clothes drawers, closets, car ashtrays, car pillows, etc.

Basil is a must for constant pruning. It also keeps the plant from becoming too woody.

Don't let it flower for more flavorful leaves. You can slow the flowering down a little more (especially basil ) by cutting 3 pairs of leaves below the flower heads.

Leroy