Herbs For Sub-tropical Climate
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Frankie Pearl
Posted on: March 01, 2004

I’ve just started to grow a herb and vegetable garden in Hong Kong (sub-tropical climate). The humidity is always high and temperatures in the summer are constantly over 30% C. I am growing sweet basil, Thai basil, lemon grass, thyme, coriander, rosemary, and parsley. I have made sure of good drainage and I have plenty of manure. I just need some help on transplanting herbs to the garden. For example, how far apart they should be, when and what to prune and other points which may help.

Do you think that rosemary and thyme have a chance in this climate?

For the herbs you mentioned they should be spaced about 30 centimeters (one foot) apart. If by pruning you mean what and when to harvest part of the plants, then you can harvest any portion of the plant that is taller than the bottom 10 cm. In parsley harvest the oldest leaves and leave the youngest. Consult our web-site at www.richters.com under ‘Q&A’ and type in "harvest" to get some questions and answers on that topic.

Rosemary and thyme are from the Mediterranean and should feel right at home in Hong Kong. You may have a bit of trouble with parsley, since most varieties do best in cool weather. Be sure to choose a heat tolerant variety.

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