A couple of weeks ago I was taking mint cuttings and ended up with some trimmings consisting of 2 leaves and an inch of stem. Not much to go on, but rather than discard these I balance them by their leaves across a jam jar of water on the kitchen windowsill so that the bottom of the stalk was submerged. Here's what happened
and here's another that is a week older.
The reason I happened to have a jam jar of water on the windowsill was because I was trying out a system for taking basil cuttings and rooting them in water. While slower than mint the basil went on to develop dramatic roots too:
I will now be potting these up. The basil I have sown at the same time is minuscule so I think this method for generating successional cropping will be very useful for basil.
For mint it just proves how vigorous mint is! If you plant roots it will grow leaves and if you soak leaves/stem it will develop roots!
If you would like to read more about mint cuttings and how they fare why not visit Darren's blog at Darren's Mint
We love culinary herbs and always make room for them,
One of our home garden raised beds is devoted to Mediterranean herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage) and Chives.
and another for green herbs (Parsley and Coriander and Sorrel)
Both beds are in need of refreshment... and here are the troops to do it.
And that first mint is not the only one. This spring I potted up the remains of a single supermarket pot bought last autumn. These seven pots are ready for shipping out to friends and relatives.
Here's the sage cuttings taken last autumn now potted up.
...and rosemary
...and thyme.
I mentioned coriander above but there is none to photograph. That's because it is the bane of my life. We eat coriander. Lots of it. Every year I try to grow it for leaf and every year it bolts. Well this year I am dedicating a large container to it which I will keep moist and free from extreme temperatures. I'm going to beat it this time!
