Growing herbs in containers a popular choice

Q. I have two 14-inch round containers about 14 inches deep. I would like to plant basil, sage, rosemary and thyme. What combination would look good and grow best?A. Growing herbs in containers is very popular. It is especially convenient to keep the containers near a doorway where they are easily accessible to your kitchen.Your two containers are a good size for planting herbs. The minimum recommended size is a 12-inch diameter by 12-inch deep pot.You might want to consider the hardiness of the plants when deciding what plants to combine. Sage and thyme are perennials that can survive the winter in their containers in our zone 5. You could leave them outside over the winter, preferably in a sheltered location near the house.Rosemary is a tender perennial that must be brought into the house during northern Illinois winters. To keep it over the winter, it must be kept in a sunny window or under fluorescent lights and watered when the soil is dry, allowing the water to drain from the bottom of the pot without letting the roots sit in water. Even with the best of care, rosemary will grow "leggy" during our short winter days. You can trim the "leggy" tips and use them in cooking or add the dried fragrant herb to winter wreaths.Basil is a very tender annual that dies with the first light freezing temperatures in the fall. You might want to pair this plant with the rosemary plant. Bring the container with rosemary indoors after the basil has died.Of the four herbs you mentioned, basil is the only one easily grown from seed. Sage, rosemary and thyme are best grown from seedlings or cuttings. You can find all of them available as seedlings at garden centers and in many grocery store produce sections.Planting and maintaining your container herb gardenMake sure your containers have holes for drainage. Herb plants don't like "wet feet." Use a lightweight soilless potting mix that is free of weeds, insects, and plant disease organisms. These mixes of peat moss, composted bark, perlite and/or asbestos-free vermiculite are very popular for container gardening and are readily available.Your herb container gardens will require more frequent watering than do landscape plantings. Many of the new soilless planting mixes contain water-retention pellets that reduce the evaporation rate of water from containers. Warm summer winds cause plants to dry out quickly in containers. Therefore, you must maintain a watering schedule that depends on heat, drought, and wind conditions during the growing season. When the top of the soil feels dry, water the plants until a small amount of water drains from the holes.Because herbs do not require heavy fertilization you don't have to fertilize them as often as other container-grown plants. You can add a slow-release pellet fertilizer to the soil when you plant the herbs. This type of fertilizer releases nutrients with every watering. Check the label on the fertilizer for application rates. One or two applications of this type of fertilizer should be enough for the entire growing season.Keep the herb plants compact, bushy and healthy by regularly pinching back the growing tips and removing any dead or diseased leaves.Q. In past years I've had problems with blossom-end rot on my tomatoes. How can I avoid it this year?A. Blossom-end rot on tomatoes, peppers and summer squash is usually caused by calcium deficiency in the plants due to irregular watering.Blossom-end rot appears on the tips of the developing fruit. Tomato tips turn brown to black and peppers may become tan or light brown.Because blossom-end rot is not a plant disease, there is no need to apply chemicals. Our local garden soil, along with a balanced organic fertilizer, usually provides sufficient calcium for tomatoes and peppers.#160; bull;Be careful not to cultivate your soil too deeply or too finely. Tomatoes prefer dense soil because it allows water to move through the soil slowly enough to allow soil calcium/minerals and water to be absorbed by the roots.bull;Make sure the garden receives enough water to maintain an even level of soil moisture. Plants grow at a regular rate with absorption of soil minerals staying in balance.Controlling blossom-end rot in container gardensbull;Use at least one-third humus-rich topsoil as a source of calcium in your container. The remaining "soil" can be a quality container soilless mix.bull;Water regularly and fertilize the container plants once a week because nutrients quickly leach out of the container mix.bull;Use a natural organic fertilizer. Natural microbial activity in the topsoil makes the nutrients in the fertilizer available to the plants.bull;It is also recommended to periodically spray the plants with a solution of calcium to replace the calcium lost through leaching.bull; Provided by Mary Boldan and Donna Siemro, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Send questions to Ask a Master Gardener, c/o Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 W. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, (847) 298-3502 or via e-mail to cookcountymg@sbcglobal.net.