How to Grow Lemon Verbena From Seed
Lemon verbena, aptly named, is an aromatic herb with a strong, refreshing lemon scent. The plant is native to South America, so it prefers warmer temperatures, but this shouldn't pose a problem as long as you grow it in a greenhouse or keep it indoors during the cooler autumn and winter months. Apart from needing warm temperatures, lemon verbena is a fairly easy, low-maintenance plant to grow. Once your lemon verbena matures, you can use it in recipes that might benefit from an herbal, lemony flavor. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2-inch planting pots 8-inch planting pots Plastic tray Peat moss Perlite Plastic wrap Rubber bands
Instructions
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Prepare the 2-inch planting pots with a mixture of equal parts of peat moss and perlite. Set the pots on a plastic tray to catch any excess water. Water the growing medium until it is just moist; don't oversaturate.
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Place two lemon verbena seeds in each pot and cover them with about 1/4 inch of the peat moss and perlite mixture. Cover each pot with plastic wrap to create tiny, makeshift greenhouses; secure the plastic wrap with rubber bands if necessary.
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3
Place the tray of pots in a room with lots of indirect sunlight until the lemon verbena starts sprouting. Remove the plastic wrap once you see sprouts and move the tray into direct sunlight.
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Prepare the 8-inch pots once the sprouts are about 3 inches tall. Fill the 8-inch pots with potting soil and transplant the lemon verbena plants into them. Keep the plants in direct sunlight and water often to keep the soil moist.
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5
Fertilize twice a month from spring through autumn using a water-soluble fertilizer. Reduce to once a month during the winter.
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