Pot Up Herbs Before Frost and Get Free Cuttings
The rosemary I planted three years ago cost me around four dollars. If I let it die in the first hard frost, that’s four dollars I’ll never see again. And yes, I know that’s not a lot of money. But that’s not the point. The point is I could have done something about it. The move is to pot up herbs before frost makes that decision for you.
September in the Pacific Northwest is that weird window where the days are still warm enough to feel fine but the nights are already giving you hints. That’s your signal. Start moving tender herbs inside before frost makes the decision for you.
Which Herbs Are Worth Saving
Rosemary, parsley, chives, basil, and tarragon are all worth potting up before the cold hits. Basil is the most dramatic about it. Turns black the moment temperatures dip. Rosemary and parsley are a little tougher but still appreciate a warm windowsill. Chives can technically handle some cold, but they go dormant fast and you lose fresh growth all winter if you don’t bring them in.
Thyme and sage are pretty cold-tolerant so they can stay out longer. I usually don’t bother bringing those in unless we’re getting a legitimately brutal winter. (Knock on wood.)
How to Pot Them Up Without Killing Them First
If your herbs are already in the ground, dig them out a few weeks before you expect frost. You want to give them time to settle before you also ask them to adjust to being indoors. Do both at once and you’re basically stacking two stressful things on top of each other. Learned that one the hard way.
Dig a generous root ball, pot them into something with drainage holes (I raid my own garage for old nursery pots before I ever buy anything), and use a decent potting mix. A cheap bag from the local big box store is fine. Don’t use straight garden soil indoors. It compacts, drains poorly, and you’ll end up with sad, soggy roots.
Water once, let it drain fully, and leave the pot outside for a week or two in a sheltered spot. This is the acclimating step most people skip. Going from full outdoor sun to a dim indoor window is a shock, and a gradual transition helps a lot.
Free Herbs from Cuttings (My Favorite Part)
Before you dig anything up, take cuttings. This is basically free plants and I cannot stress that enough. Rosemary roots surprisingly well from cuttings, which means you can pot up herbs before frost and end up with several small starts for the price of zero dollars.
Snip a 4-6 inch stem, strip the lower leaves, and stick it in a small cup of water or directly into moist potting mix. Rosemary prefers the soil method. Mint and basil do great in water. Cover loosely with a plastic bag to hold humidity if you’re going the soil route. I’ve used the same torn produce bags for this for years. (The cheapest thing in this garden is my recycling habit.)
If you’ve rooted tomato suckers before, this is the same general idea. Same patience required. If you haven’t tried that yet, I wrote about rooting tomato suckers for free plants earlier this season and the technique translates well.
Light, Water, and Not Making It Weird Indoors
Herbs need a lot of light indoors and most windows don’t fully deliver on that promise. A south-facing window is your best shot. If you’ve got one that gets four to six hours of direct sun, you’re in decent shape. Anything less and you’ll want a small LED grow light to supplement. You don’t need anything fancy, just enough lumens to keep them from getting leggy and pale.
Overwatering is how most herb plants die indoors. The pots aren’t drying out as fast in a cool house with low light, so you water on the same schedule you used outside and then wonder why everything is rotting. Stick your finger an inch into the soil. If it’s still damp, wait. If it’s dry, water thoroughly and let it drain. That’s really the whole system.
Rosemary especially hates wet feet. It would rather be slightly too dry than slightly too wet. Keep that in mind every time you reach for the watering can.
What About Drying Instead
Potting up isn’t the only option. If you’ve got more herbs than windowsill space (relatable), drying is a totally valid move. I compared a few cheap methods for drying herbs for winter if you want to see what actually works without spending money on a dehydrator.
I usually do both. Bring in the plants I want fresh herbs from all winter, dry the rest. Parsley is one I always want fresh because dried parsley is basically green sawdust. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s just true.
The Part Where I Admit a Mistake
First year I did this, I brought everything inside at once during a cold snap and crammed it all onto one south windowsill. Every plant competed for light, the ones in the back got nothing, and I lost two out of five. Now I move them in stages and spread them around the house wherever there’s a usable window. My wife gets to look at a chives pot next to the kitchen sink all winter. She has not complained yet. I’m choosing to take that as a win.
Anyway. September is the month to pot up herbs before frost catches you off guard. You’ve still got time, but not a lot of it. Let’s call it thyme-sensitive. (Sorry. I really couldn’t help that one.)
Photo by Vita Borysenko on Unsplash
