A year a go a friend of mine gave me a gift of a few bay leaves and told me she was growing her own bay plant in her living room! I’m always interested in what I can grow myself and the thought of growing my own bay leaves was intriguing! I found that Logees carries bay plants so I ordered one.
Sweet Bay are very slow growing but after a year my little plant is full of new growth and looking like it needs a new home.
The Laurus nobilis or sweet bay is best known as a seasoning. Did you know that the bay laurel is actually an evergreen shrub or tree that is native to the Mediterranean area? They can grow as tall as 60 feet. If I lived in zone 8-11 I could have my own bay hedge!
The bay can be kept small by pruning or by confining it in a container. In the spring, the bay has small yellow flowers, which will develop into purple berries in the fall. If you prune your plant it may mean less flowers and berries. I’m not interested in flowers or berries just the leaves for a seasoning.
The bay likes well-drained soil and can tolerate soil pH from 4.5 to 8.3. They also like to be cramped in their pot. Once I move my bay into a larger pot I shouldn’t have to worry about it for years. Since they are slow growing they don’t require a lot of food. Container grown bay is fed in the spring and maybe again mid-summer, with a balanced organic fertilizer like fish emulsion and kelp. It also helps to refresh the top couple of inches of soil each spring, being careful not to hurt the shallow roots.
Bay is drought tolerant, but appreciates regular deep watering. Always allow the soil to dry out between watering, so the roots don’t rot. But don’t let it sit for long periods without water.
Since it likes the soil to be well drained a blend of one-half cactus mix and one-half potting soil works well, or add one part of sand to two parts of standard potting soil. Since I happened to have some cactus mix on hand I made a mixture of ½ cactus mix and ½ potting soil.
After moving the bay into a larger pot and giving it a good watering I think it looks better already!
Linked To: Tuesday GardenParty, GardenTuesday, OutdoorWednesday, FreshFoodsWednesday, WildcraftingWednesday, GreenThumbThursday, FromTheFarm, BackyardFarmingConnection
Nancy on the Home Front 