[willowman]

A gardener friend told me to grow my herbs in the sun as this would produce more oils and scent.
So I bought one of those pyramid growers and put my herbs in the trays, and put them in them in a place where they got the afternoon sun, but they all kept going very dry and then bolted.

I know this has been a very dry period but I just didn't have the time to keep watering them.

Would I be better growing them in the shade of our house?

I know next year I will try mulching the pots to try to combat the drying out.

[JayG]

Depends to some extent on which of the hundreds of herbs available you are trying to grow, and also what you mean by "bolting".

Nearly all of them flower at some stage; perennial herbs like oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme flower at least once a year and you can't stop that happening; all you can do is lightly trim them after flowering and wait for the leafy growth to resume. They all like sunny positions and well-drained soil but of course won't appreciate being completely desiccated!

Some of the annual or biennual herbs like coriander and parsley finish their lifecycles by flowering; the problem is when this happens sooner than you would like; I would say that these two at least are better off in a less sunny position and should be kept moist if at all possible.

[willowman]

Many thanks Jay for the comprehensive answer.

As I typed it I thought "I bet it depends on the herb!" Nothing ever seems to be simple in this gardening lark.

I suppose that, yes, what had happened was they had gone into flower mode, before we had used all the leaves or acted quickly enough to pick and dry them.

May try a second plating to see what happens.

[Beetroot queen]

Mine are in full sun and treated very badly they never get watered but get the chop more often than my kids go to the barbers and thats every two weeks.

They seem to love it 

[sloegin]

What herbs are you growing? All the woody herbs > rosemary thyme sage grow well for me in shady area. Basil & coriander never do well i think they'd do well in full sun i think watering from underneath helps.

[willowman]

Good question sloegin, there was mint, coriander, chamomile, salad burnett, oregano, parsley, chives, lovage. Also have 2 lots of sage in separate tubs.

As I was typing this list I started to describe what happened to each one, but I realised that they were probably all going through their natural cycle, ie grow, flower, produce seed, die back.
I seemed to think that they would all just keep growing leaves throughout the season, providing me with a constant supply of herbs, but obviously it doesn't work like that.
Must be quicker next year and get plenty of leaves picked whilst they are in abundance.
Thanks for your help.
PS. Must also learn to water them regularly

[compostqueen]

I grow my flat leaf parsley in some shade down the garden which it seems to like. Not watered it either but then it's in the garden not in a pot.  Pot herbs can flag quite quickly eg thyme, melissa, mint so you have to keep an eye on them.  Chives seem to be bullet proof even in a pot 

[gillie]

Mint, oregano, chives, sage and lovage are perennials, they will flower and regrow.  If you want a constant supply you will have to keep cutting them back - but let the poor plants keep some leaves or you will kill them.

Chives are bulbs which will flower and regrow, but also seed themselves around, so cut the flowers off if you do not want an invasion.

Coriander is notorious for bolting - see other threads.

Flat leaf parsley is pretty easy, but best sown twice a year - in the spring for a summer crop and about now to over winter and spring crop before it goes up to seed.

Gillie