28 Herbs to Plant in Fall: Now is the Perfect Time to Plan Jenny Graham, August 1, 2024July 30, 2024 To be completely honest, fall and winter gardening is my favorite. Along with an annual vegetable garden, there are many herbs to plant in fall for a lovely herb garden. The Best Herbs To Plant in Fall Early fall is a great time of year to plant homegrown herbs, for medicinal purposes or culinary herbs. You do not have to wait until next spring for a thriving herb garden. Depending on your gardening zone, there are many common herbs to plant in the fall garden that can grow right through the cooler temperatures into early spring, especially if you live in a climate with mild winters. Hardy Perennial Herbs to Plant in Fall: Sage Rosemary Thyme Chives Garlic Chives Lavender Mint Oregano Lemon Balm Echinacea Comfrey Lovage Yarrow Feverfew Catnip Tarragon Depending on Climate and Variety, Some Herbs May Grow as Perennial Herbs Marjoram Calendula Chamomile Dill Fennel Caraway Horehound Wintergreen Annual Herbs to Plant in Fall Garlic Parsely Cilantro Chervil How to Create a Fall Herb Garden There are so many possibilities when creating a garden space for fresh herbs. Most herbs will do well in containers or planted right in the ground in a garden bed. Using different-sized containers, maybe even in fun colors, will create an herb garden that is functional and fun. Planting them close to the house will make them easy to care for and convenient to harvest. Fall Herb Seed Starting Tips Start herb seeds in an area you pass by frequently. Sow seeds in a seed-starting tray, or a small pot, using a good seed-starting mix. Add a plant tag to the pots so you don’t forget what you sowed. Keep the soil moist. The best way to water is with a spray bottle so you don’t disturb the soil. Using a heat mat will speed germination. Once you have seedlings make sure they are in front of a sunny window or use a grow light. A tray for bottom watering is also a good idea. Thin your seedlings when they are 1-2 inches tall. Tips for Planting Fall Herbs The best time to start your seedlings is about 4 weeks before you plan to plant them in your garden for a good head start. The herbs to plant in fall will be your cooler weather herbs that grow well in your zone. If you don’t have time to start seeds, you can find plenty of your favorite herbs at the local nursery. Know Your Zone The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners can determine which perennial plants are most likely to do well in a location. The map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature and is broken up into zones. Simply put your zip code into the map to find your zone. Timing Timing is everything when it comes to gardening. Take a look at your seed packet to find out how many days to harvest. That will give you a rough estimate of when you can expect to harvest off of that plant after planting. If it is a frost-sensitive plant you’ll want to count backward from your average first frost date the number of days to harvest. That will be the perfect time to plant your herb plants. The Timing for Planting Herbs in Early Fall Will Vary Depending on Your Climate Your Temperatures Should Maintain a Daytime High Below 80 Degrees. Your First Frost Should Be at Least 10-6 Weeks Away. Choose Your Location Over the years of planting gardens, I have found that choosing a location close to the house that you pass by frequently is important. You’ll find yourself in the garden more often. You know the old saying, “A garden’s best friend is the gardener’s shadow.” It’s just true. The more you tend to your garden the better it will be. You will also want your garden planted near a water source. Sunlight Sunlight is another important factor to consider when choosing a location for your vegetable or herb garden. Most herbs, fruits, and vegetables need full sun, which is about 6 hours a day. Not all do though, be sure to research each plant. Prep Your Soil Depending on whether you are growing in containers with soil mix or in-ground with your native soil, you may need to do a soil test to see how your soil needs to be amended. You can use a simple at-home soil test kit to find your soil conditions. It will test for pH and NPK ratios. Most herbs grow best in well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0-7.5, so on average 6.5 is a good goal for your herb bed pH. From there you can determine what amendments or fertilizers need to be added. Adding compost is always a good idea as it helps to build well-draining soil and will feed your plants. Planting & Spacing Your Herbs to Plant In Fall Once your new plants are about 4 weeks old you can go ahead and start planting. Different plants will require different spacing. In general, herbs get pretty bushy and like to spread out. Depending on the herb, plan to have 1-4 feet of space between each plant. The largest herbs are mints, rosemary, sage, marjoram and oregano. They will need about 3-4 feet each. I know it’s tempting to pack them in closely so your garden looks full. Please don’t make this mistake though. Your herbs will need their space to grow to their fullest potential. Watering Your Herbs to Plant in Fall A good rule of thumb for most herbs is to water once a week. If you live in a climate with extreme heat or droughts you may need to water twice a week or even consider providing partial shade. Watering in the early morning will help keep evaporation down. This will allow your herbs to have a nice deep watering down to the roots. Fertilizing Your Herbs You may find that if you plant your herbs in well-drained soil enriched with nutrient-dense compost, or rotted down organic matter, you do not need to fertilize a whole lot. At the beginning of the season, depending on your soil test results, you can add an all-purpose organic fertilizer to the soil. These are usually slow-release fertilizers that will feed your herbs throughout the growing season. Another good option would be watering with a fish emulsion or compost tea every two weeks. Weeding Your Herbs Just like with any garden, keeping weeds and grasses at bay will set your plants up for success. I prefer to designate a day of the week for weeding the garden. It helps to have a schedule of sorts when it comes to the less desirable garden tasks. Mulching Your Herb Garden Keeping your soil covered with mulch has many benefits. Mulch not only helps keep weeds and grasses down but also regulates soil temperatures, conserves moisture, provides excellent drainage, builds soil structure, reduces erosion, and feeds plants over time. Harvesting Your Herbs Harvesting herbs regularly during the growing season, once they have plenty of foliage, will encourage more growth. When you are ready to harvest, you can snip sprigs of herbs just above a cluster of leaves. Herbs are the type of plant that likes to be snipped on. It sends out a message to the plant to put out new growth. Pruning Your Herbs Just like any other plant, if you find areas that are not looking so great pruning will help. Snip those areas off so your plant can focus on sending energy to the actively growing parts of the plant instead of the struggling parts. Overwintering & Frost Protection Not all herbs are suited for frost. If you choose to plant these herbs you could always use frost protection blankets during the winter months to help see them through the cool season. It’s not a guarantee though. If you live in an area with mild winters many perennial herbs will make it through til early spring. Herbs to Plant in Early Spring After Last Frost The good news is that most herbs can also be planted in early spring. Basil, Coriander, Lemon Grass, and Lemon Verbena, to name a few, are herbs that are frost-sensitive. Waiting until after your last estimated frost date is crucial for some herbs. Herbs to Plant in Fall and Why it Makes Sense Planting herbs, especially perennial herbs, in the fall just makes sense. When they are overwintered and make it to early spring, they usually explode with growth that second year. By late spring, they are well established and usually take off giving you a bountiful harvest. Benefits of Planting an Herb Garden Growing your own fresh herbs can benefit your homestead in multiple ways. Not only do they have culinary uses but they also have many health benefits. They can be dehydrated and infused into olive oil, used for tea, or even used to make herbal tinctures. Additionally, they are incredibly low maintenance plants with little disease or pest pressure. The Right Herbs to Plant in Fall Well, I’m not sure about you but now I am ready to break out the home garden planner and start planning what herbs to plant in fall. The choices are endless. Will they go in the ground in the garden, amongst the landscaping or flower beds, or maybe even in an adorable little container kitchen garden right outside the back door? You see, that’s the nice thing about growing fresh herbs I think, it’s attainable for just about anyone even in a small space. Happy Homesteading and Herb Gardening! Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for more than two decades. They currently live on a 10-acre farm in Northeast Florida, which they built from the ground up, nine years ago. On their farm, they grow 100% of their meat and most of their vegetables. With a small herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, pastured poultry, sheep, and seasonal pigs, they not only meet their family’s meat needs but also sell their surplus to the local community. They are dedicated to sustainable practices like making compost, seed saving, and processing much of their garden and animal harvests at home. You can find Jenny wandering through her garden, making herbal tinctures, preserving food, making bone broth, and one of Jenny’s favorite hobbies, tanning all types of hides. Gardening Homesteading