Perennial Herbs for South Africa
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Julie Meyer
Posted on: February 25, 2000

I live in Ceres, South Africa (about 160km from Cape Town), a farming area where they grow mainly decidious fruit and wheat. The winters are cold with snow on the mountains and frost in the valley while the summers are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. I would like to know if there are any perennial herbs which would grow well in this climate, either indoors or outdoors.

Your climate in the valley is very similar to ours, perhaps a zone or two warmer than our zone 5 in the Great Lakes region of Canada. You have a wide choice of culinary, aromatic and medicinal herbs which will grow in your area. (The "zones" are the USDA plant hardiness zone ratings, and I have approximated what the equivalent is for you.)

Because most herbs require strong light, we recommend that you grow outdoors, at least at first. You will have the greatest success and yields with outdoor-grown herbs.

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