Help with herbs

[joeysmama]

I hope someone out there can give me some advice.

I love to plant herbs in the summer. It's so much nicer to be able to snip a handful of what you need than it is to buy a huge bunch at the store and have it go to waste or wilt in the fridge. I keep containers on the railing just outside my family room door--convenient and the deer can't get to them to eat them. They get good sun there as well as being open to the rain.

I've had great luck with parsley, oregano, thyme, basil and cilantro.

Last year I planted dill and wound up with two very tall scrawny stalks. It was usable but it still bothered me. This year I'm having the same thing happen again with my dill AND my cilantro is doing the same thing. Last year the cilantro was great, full and bushy. This year, scrawny stalks.

What to do ?????

[badger]

Both cilantro and dill have a tendency to be leggy. I cut them back to a reasonable height (6 inches?), which leads to more lateral growth. Don't worry about hurting the plant.
Then the moment you see a bud forming, pinch it off. When they start making flowers, the rest of the plant suffers.
If they are in full, hot sun all day, move them to a less exposed location. Too much heat makes them bolt.
I sow cilantro several times over the summer and use the whole plant when it is 2-3 inches tall. But cutting the plants back will work as well.
If your plants are in pots, you might try a liquid fertilizer or a top-dressing of compost or good soil to re-invigorate them.

[joeysmama]

Thank you so much for the advice. I'm going to print it out and put it in my kitchen so I can refer to it easily !!