About five years ago started my Lemon Balm patch with a plant from the store, but if I had it to do over I would use seed. My reasoning for this is to have many plants at once. Our front porch area was full of mosquito’s and I wanted an all natural solution.
One plant took me many years to multiply across the porch.
Utilize your spring seeds and set a tray of lemon balm. If you end up with too much gift a plant start to a neighbor or friend.
Seed Starting Directions for Beginners
First, choose the container. Seed starting trays will work or egg cartons. Another idea is small dixie cups with small holes in the bottom. Place them all on a tray for easy watering and transporting.
Use a homemade seed starting mix. Add enough dirt and starting mix to fill the container 1 inch from the top. This gives the dirt and seed time to settle and start root growth. Keeping it away from the top edge prevents mess and spillage when watering.
I empty the package of seeds in my hand, then one by one add them to my seed starting tray. After that, I add a half spoon of dirt. Not seed starting mix. Adding just enough to take it almost to the top, but not spill over. Step by step I repeat the process until my entire container is filled up.
After that water regularly. Seeds should never be dry. Place in a well lit warm area. This sets the seeds to germinate.
Germinating Lemon Balm Seeds
Germination is literally keeping the seeds warm and wet until they sprout. You can do this with a well lit kitchen or sunroom window or a seed mat. I do have a greenhouse that I start my seeds in each year. Occasionally my seeds get started in the house and moved to the greenhouse because where I live the weather is unstable. Sometimes it is warm and sometimes it is cold.
Lemon balm seeds take approximately 1-3 weeks to germinate. Sowing several seeds of important because not all seeds will germinate. Last year out of a tray of twenty four I only had four of my tomato seeds germinate. It is a tricky time with seeds.
Transplanting a Seed or a Plant
Gradually get the seeds used to the outdoors. Just like anything else seeds take time to get used to new situations and soil.
Each day I go out in the morning and set out my seeds trays. First, only an hour. By the end of the week I have them out all day. Starting week number two I set them in the ground permanently.
If you buy a plant, chances are it is used to being outside. Where the problem starts is frost dates, late frosts, too much rain or not enough. Keeping everything moderated and on a schedule ensures the lemon balm plant has a better start.
Caring and Harvesting Seeds
My lemon balm gets harvested closer to the end of July. If we have a rainy year like this one it may be the middle of August. Through the growing season I snip the ends to keep it growing and avoid getting flowers on the top too early.
Lemon balm has so many uses (see my other posts) that it is always used up. Working in my garden on a hot summer night is always a treat because the sweet smell of lemon wafts past my nose.
Conclusion
Many herbs bring lots of benefits. Mint grows fast and smells minty where planted, rosemary grows tall and is useful for cooking, peppermint is the same family as mint and has added benefits.
Out of all of the herbs lemon balm is my favorite because of its all purpose potential. Growing it from seed isn’t katanas you can end the with multiple fast growing plants to use daily and sell.
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