Does an herb garden need to be fertilized?
Yes. Most books about herbs are published in the Northeast and suggest that herbs do not need to be fertilized. Remember our growing season is nearly a full year here and plants are taxed during that growing season. If a gardener will fertilize his herb garden at least once a month with a liquid fertilizer such as Peters Plant Food he should see positive results. Fish emulsion is a good fertilizer however it offers only about 9% nitrogen and needs to be applied more frequently. We prefer Peters 20-20-20 to Miracle Gro. Miracle Gro was originally formulated for fruiting and flowering plants, herbs are desired for their foliage. Why stimulate an annual or biennial herb into a flowering state? Fertilizers are best applied in the morning before the temperature is above 80 degrees. Never apply fertilizer to a stressed or dry plant as it may burn the foliage.
