I recently obtained Purple Sage, Spearmint, and Lemonbalm.
My knowledge on gardening is slim. I've grown Sage before and I know I need to do more research on the other two. But I was wondering if it's okay to plant the 3 of them together in a long planter for now.
Well,they really need to be in the ground.Purple Sage grows into a rather large bush, and needs to be trimmed.Spearmint spreads like wildfire! So it needs to be "contained"; mine is in a square of tiles to stop it spreading. Lemon Balm also grows into a bush,though not as big as sage. be careful if you plant Bay; it grows into a whopping great tree! So does Lavender. Most of the other herbs can be grown in pots.
If you are just starting the plants, I would say that putting them in a long planter would suffice for the time being- just make sure there's enough space between plants so that their root systems don't get all tangled and weird.
I agree with Brysing on the fact that mint will go everywhere. I made the mistake of planting some in my garden about four years ago, and now it is everywhere- it has taken over my entire garden and is moving into the lawn.
Spearmint really does need to be in a pot. I used to grow it and stuff goes crazy if not kept up with. Once it takes root in the ground, it can end up being a ground cover completely by accident and very hard to kill at that point. I also don't recommend a pot with a bottom that has one of those self-watering deals where you pour water and it gets soaked up by the roots with this plant either. My spearmint tried to grow new shoots out through it. lol.
The sage and lemonbalm can get a good size so like already said, should be considered for planting in the ground. If you can't do this and a pot is all you can do, plant them in separate pots and trim them up from time to time so they don't go over board. If you end up with too much sage, harvest some and make some sage bundles! Also always repot them when they need it and use new soil for the nutrients they need.
I suggest separate pots for each if you can't plant them in the ground. I personally have lavender in a large pot by it's self for drainage purposes. Lavender likes well drained soil and a large pot or planter does this nicely. The spearmint and lemon balm will spread and may become invasive. The spearmint may stay contained to a pot but the lemon balm spreads even when contained. I have lemon balm growing in several places because it pops up yards from other patches. I use a lot of it so I am constantly harvesting the lemon balm from unwanted areas to use.
Lemon balm is in the mint family like catnip. It doesn't spread exactly the same as garden mint or spearmint under the ground through expansion of the root system. Though lemon balm does grow and expand it also blooms and seeds. I believe the wind and perhaps the animals that play in my gardens have spread my lemon balm around.
Hello I am new here but have experience with gardening. If the plants are small you will be fine for now. Once they toughen up you can separate and naturally fertilize. Do not fertilize to early as it can burn or stunt the growth.
