Growing Herb Plants for Direct-Market Sales

Herb plants sell well at farmers' markets and garden centers. Most start readily from seed and are ready to sell within a few months. Some perennial herbs are slow or tricky from seed, or are cultivars that don't come true from seed, so they're usually propagated from softwood cuttings. Here's an introduction to growing culinary herbs from seed for plant sales.

Growing Herb Plants from Seed

The best-selling culinary herbs are also the simplest to start from seed. You can sow basil, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley and sage in the greenhouse just as you would vegetable transplants. Many herb buyers want organically grown plants, which means using organic seed-starting mix, potting mix and fertilizer. Organic seed is offered for many herbs.

Herbs are usually sown into open flats or channel trays set on a heat mat and potted up into their final containers or cell packs at the two-true-leaf stage. Many herbs need light to germinate, so don't cover them with mix or an opaque cover, or put them in a dark germination chamber. Wet the mix first, then sow the seed on the surface; a light dusting of sand or vermiculite keeps seed moist without burying it. A clear plastic dome or a layer of row cover raises humidity. If the flat needs water, bottom-water or mist it so the seed isn't washed around. Take the dome off as soon as the first seeds sprout so the tiny seedlings don't overheat.

Germination Requirements Chart for Herb Seeds

This chart lists germination conditions for popular seed-grown culinary herbs.