An herb garden is incomplete without fragrant lemon balm. Anyone who wants to plant the aromatic culinary herb in the bed will receive the necessary know-how for error-free cultivation here. The elementary questions are answered in a practical way below.
How do you plant lemon balm correctly?
To plant lemon balm successfully, you should first grow seeds indoors before planting them in mid-May in a sunny to partially shaded location in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and well-drained soil. It is also suitable for cultivation in a pot with drainage.
How is cultivation implemented in the best possible way?
So that the young plants start the season with an impressive growth lead, we recommend sowing them indoors. The time window for cultivation opens from the beginning/mid of March so that the seedlings are mature by mid-May. Here's how to do it:
- fill small pots with seed soil or peat sand and moisten
- sow the seeds and just press them on as light germinators
- Put a plastic bag over each pot
In a bright window seat at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, germination begins within 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the type of lemon balm chosen. During this time, keep the substrate constantly moist. When the first cotyledons peek out from the seeds, the cap falls away. After another 4 weeks, the seedlings are transplanted.
Which location is suitable?
The cultivation of lemon balm will be successful if you plant the young plants you have grown yourself or purchased ready-made in this location:
- sunny to semi-shady location
- protected from wind and rain
- nutrient-rich, humus-rich, well-drained soil
In the pot, lemon balm thrives in commercially available herbal soil (€6.00 on Amazon), the permeability of which is optimized with the help of a handful of quartz sand.
When is planting time?
Regardless of its hardiness, the planting time for lemon balm begins in mid-May. Until then, there is a risk of delayed ground frosts. Young lemon balm has no resistance to frosty temperatures.
What are the steps for planting?
Before planting lemon balm, ideally soak the root balls in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the bed soil is being weeded and raked thoroughly. To optimize the soil, add mature compost or granulated cattle manure. This is how it continues:
- create a planting pit with twice the volume of the root ball
- insert the potted lemon balm in the middle
- plant exactly as deep as it was so far
- tamp the soil and water it
Growing in a pot is similar, although drainage above the bottom opening is important. Spread a 5-10 centimeter high layer of pebbles or grit to prevent waterlogging.
Tips & Tricks
In view of the sprawling growth, the balcony box is out of the question for lemon balm. For cultivation on the balcony, we recommend a large mortar bucket from the hardware store, in the bottom of which you drill an opening for water drainage.
