My Experience with the Halden Garden Aromatic Seed Collection

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been growing my own seeds from the Halden Garden Aromatic Seed Collection. So far, I’ve had nothing but positive results, and I’d like to share some of my experiences!

First, I took a trip to the hardware store to get some pots. I used your typical plastic pots (roughly 3-4 in. in diameter), but I assume that, as my seeds grow, I will need to repot them at some point. While this is the approach that I took, starting off with larger pots would also work! As far as soil, I bought some fairly standard Vigoro All-Purpose Potting Mix with Fertilizer from Home Depot. From my own experience, it seems like these seeds aren’t too picky about the soil type, so any kind will probably be okay to use.

After filling each pot with soil, I began to plant each packet of seeds. With each packet, I wasn’t too worried about how many seeds I planted, as I knew that I could always thin out the seedlings once they sprouted. That being said, I tried to only sprinkle several seeds in each pot, so as not to be wasteful. With the larger seeds, such as Cilantro, I could more precisely count how many I planted, but with the smaller ones, like Oregano or Mint, it was almost impossible to tell exactly how many I was planting.

Once I planted the seeds in each pot, I had to decide where to place them in my home. As it is getting a bit colder where I live (Washington, DC), I knew that they had to be placed indoors, in an area with a decent amount of sunlight. In the end, I put them along my kitchen windowsill in a well-lit area, as well as one where I could watch their progress everyday. As far as moisture, I typically water the seeds every day or two, depending on how dry the soil seems.

About five days after I planted them, the Thyme and Oregano seedlings began to sprout

Within a couple of the days, they had begun sprout even more.

The basil began to sprout, as well.

Within a few more days, all of the remaining seeds, other than the Mint, had sprouted.

At this point, I began to thin out some of the seedlings.

Roughly twenty days after planting my seeds, the Mint has begun to sprout, too.

Overall, I’m very happy with the growth of my seeds! The process was fairly simple, and there were practically no issues. Now, I’ll simply wait for them to keep growing.