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Monday, September 27, 2025
Activating My Green Fingers, If Any
Happy Monday to you! Hope you had a fantabulous weekend!
I’d like some advice please.
I’m thinking of starting a tiny patch-sized herb garden. I’m tired of the constant “struggle” of buying fresh herbs from the supermarket / market, not using all of them up, and feeling guilty when they end up having to be thrown out.
While I won’t say I have black thumbs (is that the correct saying?), neither will I classify myself as a green-fingered magician. Plants very often don’t like me; or maybe I don’t give them enough attention for them to like me! 
So, I’m thinking I should start with herbs that are fairly low maintenance and fairly hardy – things that will thrive in our tropical climate, and under my less-than-perfectly-attentive care.
Right now, my heart’s sort of set on coriander (I love and use tons of this stuff, so it’s probably worth my while to plant some), sweet basil, rosemary, dill and maybe thyme – just to start.
Questions:
• Do all these herbs fare well in tropical weather?
• Or are there other suited-to-the-tropics herbs you would recommend?
• Where can I get propagated plants of these herbs? Or do I have to grow them from seeds? I’ve heard that Cold Storage sells some potted herbs, but I have not been able to find any at the Centrepoint branch. May I know where I can get small pots of these herbs in Singapore?
• What sort of care do these herbs need? Sunlight or shade? Daily watering or not? Constant trimming or just leave them be?
Lots of questions I know, but growing herbs is totally alien to me. I’ve cooked with them for years, but have never grown or cared for them.
Heh! It almost feels like having a baby! Scary but exciting.
Any help or advice would be so very much appreciated!
Thanks!
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Comments
Renee,
I grow coriander, sweet basil, rosemary, dill and thyme, along with some other herbs. We have very hot summers here in Northern California and they all grow very nicely. Coriander doesn't last very long for me. It looks beautiful for a short time, then it collapses onto the ground. So, I use mine up quickly and plant more. Sweet basil should do very nicely for you, I would think. Both rosemary and thyme are very tough and are used as landscaping plants here in California. In fact, they can get out of control, if you don't use a strong hand with them. All you need to do is clip them regularly. Afterwards your hands will smell wonderful.
I would try to get small starter plants. It can take a long time to grow them from seed. Some herb seeds are very tedious and take forever to germinate. You plant the seeds and stare at bare ground for an eternity. So, I would check with a nursery to see if you can get the plants. However, if you are patient (I'm not) seeds work nicely.
I think mint would work for you. I also grow oregano. Once rosemary and thyme are established, they require very little water. But, coriander and basil do require more watering, in my experience. But, it's worth it!!!!
Sher
Posted by: sher | September 27, 2025 02:44 PM
hi renee,
i have tried growing herbs in Sgp b4, it wasnt easy, i sucked at it. best tip - keep them out of the harsh morning sun. i think its best to jus keep them in a cool shade with filtered light. i think having a 'flower box' in the kitchen works best.
i had tarragon, basil, mint. mint was the easiest to grow and maintain, it kept proliferating. my tarragon was very hardy, basil died after it flowered, need to constantly trim it so the flowers doesnt appear.
if you nvr grown anything b4, starting from a seed is difficult, i tried alot of seeds but never got past the seedling stage...how sad.
i got my herbs from some florist/nursery place, out at yio chu kang i think. near the quail farm. anyway the gardener told me not to try rosemary cos they are tuff to grow in sgp, once the roots are exposed or too wet, it will die off.
you can try getting the herbs from cold storage at 6th ave, the gourmet one, or jasons at raffles city. but i find that these herbs were grown too fast. maybe with some feed, the stems were very soft and couldnt stand once u removed the plastic. not very hardy and couldnt be repotted. died in the end. but i have heard success stories though. i guess i just suck.
good luck
Posted by: Timothy | September 27, 2025 03:27 PM
Hi Renee
Well done for gathering the courage to venture on this herb growing thingy in Spore. I have some success with my Basil (not sweet basil)which I keep in my kitchen on a window sill. Must say that besides adding a nice touch to the kitchen, it is always nice to be reminded to 'cook me, cook me'. Anyway, jokes aside. It is true that it can be difficult to plant these herbs. They usually do not end up looking so nice like those you see in the magazines!! I bought my basil from Cold Storage (Jelita, HV has them) because I thought I could pay the same amount and have a life plant and then repot it. Choose those with shorter stems because like what Timothy said, they tend to be too long and would not stand properly once taken out of the pot with the long plastic tube around it. I have even propped it up with satay sticks (it works)once. Anyway, basil requires you to repot very often. It loves the morning sun - not too direct and grows best in a nice shade without direct sunlight. It loves water but be sure that it drains well or the roots and stems will rot. If you repot often, there is no reason why it won't grow nicely. I still have some of the remnants sitting on my window sill from a pot which I bought early this yr, it is waiting to be repotted. I would try the nurseries if you want to get more variety and they will tell you how to take care of them!!
My mum who has green fingers grows quite a bit of the sweet Basil and it grows wild in her garden. I tried but never succeeded but she said maybe would grow better in the garden. She lives in Msia and practically leaves her basil alone in the garden except to water them. Probably needs the morning dew she said. For sweet basil, you have to pluck the flowers away so that it will continue growing. And oh, even for the basil, you should pluck the bigger leaves at the top so that it will grow new shoots.
Mint is an easy herb to plant. Practically hassle free and it grows like wildfire if left unattended. You'd probably need to consume them once they start to grow. I remembered my mum had such a big harvest, didn't know what else to do with them, she made an egg soup with it. Actually a very lovely dish!!
The other herb which is easy to plant is the 'cekur' which is difficult to find here in Spore. Mine came all the way frm the north and has been sitting on the same window sill for a few years now and growing nicely. Occasionally gets pluck for some dishes. It's a rhizome and grows fast on the ground. It is often used in Malay cooking esp nasi ulam.
As for the other herbs, I dared not even try because I have no green fingers!!
I remember that you can get pretty good advice from the Better Homes and Gdns website at www.bhg.com. Look under gardening. I kept an article on growing herbs from them for a long time before I ditched it last year. Maybe you'd have better luck than me. Have fun ut don't tear your hair out over it!!
Posted by: nyetzy | September 27, 2025 04:09 PM
I can only help you with my herbs experience from Canada and I only grwo them in winter.
1) Mint grows like wild fire but you can have fresh mint tea . Keep them in a separate area/pot or it will take over
2) Dill .. I would not bother as they grow to about 3 feet and goes to seed very fast. Even the miniature ones are about 2 feet high. I was away this summer and I had to deal with a huge 3 ft high hedge on my return. same with the mint.
3) Coriander : You have to stagger their planting so you can have a constant supply as they go to seed very fast. I reseed a new patch every 2 weeks.
4) thyme and rosemary is pretty hardy and dont need a lot of watering
5) basil , you have to keep nipping off the shoot part so it would go to seed too fast
Easiest herbs so far are mint, parsley, chives, rosemary, marjoram, thyme. Always remeber herbs do not need a lot of water or their flavor gets diluted.
Posted by: keona | September 27, 2025 10:13 PM
OOps, I meant I only grow herbs in summer. Sorry my mind is still asleep. Most of the herbs need at least partial sun not full sun and good aeration.
Posted by: keona | September 27, 2025 10:16 PM
thank you! thank you Sher, Timothy, Nyetzy and Keona... thanks so much for the wealth of information... it's all incredibly helpful.
Sher,
thanks for all the tips.
yeah, I think you are right... I'll probably get starter plants, instead of trying to germinate seeds myself... I'm not sure I have the knowledge, skill OR patience for that ; p
hmmm... that's a bit of a bummer... hadn't realized coriander was a little more attention-needy... but hey, I can't expect plants to be completely maintenance-free, right? ; )
I think I'm just going to give this herb-planting thing a go, and see how it goes... I just hope it doesn't become a disheartening experience of things dying on me : (
hi Timothy,
thanks so much for taking the time to drop me a note : )
I think you're right that it's probably better to get the plants from the nurseries rather than places like Cold Storage - especially for a beginner planter like me... then maybe I can also get some advice from the nursery people as to how to care for these things, given that I'm rather clueless (and inept) when it comes to growing things.
: )
hi nyetzy,
wow, thanks for the great tips.
hmmm... I'm intrigued by your mum's sweet basil growing wild in the garden... I'm tempted to try that... then I don't have to worry about repotting all the time.
but I guess it still needs to be out of direct sunlight? even if it is in the garden?
I just hope if I plant them in the garden, my gardener doesn't go and dig them up or harm them in some way... sometimes he goes through phases of digging up things that we are trying to grow, and they end up dying!
can basil also be grown in the garden too, do you think?
mint sounds like a great starter (low-maintenance) herb, but unfortunately, I'm not much of a mint person... I like the fresh herb better than the processed flavor, but still, I use it only rarely.
maybe I should just start with one or two "easy" herbs, and gain some confidence first... heh! I don't even know how to repot a plant!
cekur sounds interesting... I've seen it in recipes and heard about it, but have never seen the actual herb... and nasi ulam is one dish I've been wanting to taste.
ooh, thanks for the great link... will surf around and see what I can learn : )
hi keona,
thanks for all the great tips! : )
oh, hadn't realized that about dill... I think I'll skip that one for the time being.
sigh! had my heart quite set on coriander... but they sound a little intimidating at the moment... maybe I should leave it till I'm more comfortable and confident with growing : )
well, let the great growing adventure begin, I say!
this will be most interesting indeed ; D
Posted by: Renee | September 28, 2025 04:51 AM
Renee,
In my experience basil does the best in the garden. It works in pots too--but it really flourishes in the garden outside. As long as you keep pinching it back, so that it doesn't make pretty little flowers--it will do fine. Here in California, we grow it in the sun--but your conditions sound like they are different.
Sher
Posted by: sher | September 28, 2025 05:01 AM
Hi Renee,
You can go to Tekka market, buy cekur and a bunch of Thai basil (three varieties) and start your herb garden. Cekur grows very easily (as will tumeric and lengkuas) from the stem. Basil can be grown from stem cuttings; I've started several successfully by soaking them in water and potting them in soil after they've grown roots. Or you can plant them directly into pots if you wish. Keep them moist, but not too wet. Another way of striking stem cuttings is to stick them into pieces of oases, the green materials used for flower arrangements. You don't have to worry about them drying out too fast. When the cuttings root, put the whole plant with the piece of oasis into the pot, cover with soil and let them grow.
Good luck.
As for rosemary, I've grown them successfully from a cutting a friend brought back from Australia and another time from the US. They like it slightly dry. World Farm at Bah Soon Pah Road brought in mature, rooted rosemary plants from Taiwan. I've purchased four plants, and two weeks later, they're still growing well. The fragrance is wonderful.
Posted by: LT Wong | September 28, 2025 08:47 AM
I don't think I can add anything to the great garden advice above, but I feel your pain about wasting supermarket herbs. I recently found a recipe that takes care of the problem handily & deliciously, so while you are waiting for your plants to grow, have a go at this.
Persian Omelet (more a green puck bound by eggs than a real omelet)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 bunch each parsley & cilantro (substitute mint or dill), finely chopped
1 lb fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions
8 large eggs, lightly beaten, salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup currants
1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt (or labne)
1) Heat oil in a 12-inch, nonstick skillet
2) In a large bowl, combine the parsley, cilantro, spinach & scallions. Add the eggs, salt, pepper & turmeric
3) Stir in the walnuts & currants
4) Pour the egg mixture into the pan and smooth it so it completely covers the bottom. Cover the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Cook for 6 minutes. Use a long, metal palette knife to check the underside to see if a crust has formed.
5) When the kuku (yep, that's what it's called...) is golden on the bottom, cut it into quarters to make flipping it easier. Flip each section carefully. Re-cover the skillet and continue cooking for 6 minutes more or until the golden crust has formed on the other side.
6) Remove wedges and let cool for 10 minutes on a platter. Cut into three pieces each to serve. Good with pita and/or yogurt or labneh... or just plain, hot or cold.
It works with most combinations of herbs, and you can substitute other nuts and sweet dried fruits, I have found, so it is a top-notch leftover-using recipe. *grin* Also I usually make this as a half-recipe, which serves two generously and fits better in my pans.
Posted by: foodnerd | September 28, 2025 11:50 AM
I'm afraid I don't have any gardening tips, but I do have a suggestion about storing fresh herbs. I haven't tried this myself, but my friend's boyfriend stores extra herbs (chopped finely) in the freezer. When he wants to use them, he uses them straight from the freezer. He's a very good cook, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing.
Posted by: shukumei | September 28, 2025 07:12 PM
hi Sher,
thanks for the tips.
I think I might have to do a spot of experimenting and see what works best in our climate... I suspect it probably does need some sun, but not a full onslaught of our 90+ F heat though.
heh. looks like I might be spending quite a bit of time in the garden in the coming near future : )
hey LT,
nice to hear from you again! : )
oooh! thank you so much! what wonderful tips and suggestions.
I didn't think of tekka market... I'll definitely go check it out. (any particular stall that you favor?)
yeah, I think I should start simple, and not be too ambitious... maybe just start with cekur and basil, like you suggested.
and once I'm slightly more confident, I'll go get my rosemary... I can imagine how wonderful it would be to have the smell of fresh rosemary lingering in the air all day : )
thanks again for the great head-ups (as usual ; ))
hi foodnerd!
wow! that sounds like a life-saver of a recipe! thank you so much!
this omelet really does sound delish!
I adore eggs... and absolutely love omelets!
I'll definitely be trying this out soon... before my current batch of languishing herbs expire on me *sigh*
hmmm... now if only I can coordinate my sourcing of fresh eggs with the timing of the expiry of my herbs (we are currently experiencing an acute eggs-shortage in s'pore unfortunately... eggs are an incredibly rare commodity at the moment)
: (
thanks again for a wonderful recipe : )
I think it is a definite keeper.
hi shukumei,
great tip! thanks so much : )
I think that would work... I'll try it out.
does your friend's bf have any tips on how to prevent the chopped herbs from getting freezer burn?
any special way to wrap, store etc?
thanks : )
Posted by: Renee | September 28, 2025 07:18 PM
He doesn't have any special way of storing the herbs. He just puts them in little plastic bags and ties them shut.
Posted by: shukumei | September 29, 2025 08:56 PM
hi shukumei,
thanks so much : )
I'll try this out with my new batch of fresh herbs : )
Posted by: Renee | October 1, 2025 02:39 AM
Hi Renee
Like you, I was tired of seeing my rosemary's and my sweet basils wilting out in the fridge after not using them for a period of time.
Tried planting Thai basil, it was fine....until it flowered then the leaves started to fall out and the plant died.grrrrr....( i am so envious at this one Vietnamese restaurant..their basil leaves looks so scrumptious and healthy and i was told they plant it themselves!)
Tried mint....failed too...
Even tried ginger...failed too...
so i need to do more research on this...
Posted by: my name is fake | October 12, 2025 10:13 AM
Renee
forgot to mention.
One way i keep coriander ( which i also tend to use a lot) fresh is to pluck the leaves and store in an air tight container ( dont wash them yet! only wash them prior to using it!) and then refrigerate. works for me, because the leaves last at least 2 weeks, although by the end of the 2 weeks, the flavor is not so strong anymore.
also works with mint, chopped spring onions...
basil...works but not too long...prob a week at best,...
Posted by: my name is fake | October 12, 2025 10:17 AM
hi MNIF,
thanks for the tips... I'll have to try them out.
currently I keep my coriander on the stalks, with roots intact, and wrap them in newspaper followed by a plastic bag... it does keep them from drying up, but still, after a few days they still end up looking rather sad and pathetic, and anything but fresh looking.
and also, as you mention, the aromas become decidedly muted.
I also plan to try the freezer method as suggested by shukumei.
heh. I was going to buy some potted herbs the week before last... but I knew I would be so busy that they would probably end up dying from neglect as soon as I got them home.
so I've yet to start my little herb garden.
maybe next week : )
Posted by: Renee | October 12, 2025 06:18 PM
