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The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

446 - Overwintering herbs indoors and out

The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

Jill McSheehy

How To, Education, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.7 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Worried about what happens to your herbs when frost arrives? In this episode you'll learn which herbs survive winter outside, which to bring indoors, and simple steps to protect them. We'll cover pruning timing, zone hardiness, and indoor care so you go into winter with confidence. Keywords: overwinter herbs, herb winter care, pruning.

live workshop: 5-Day Garden Audit + Optional Live Q&A
Reflect on your season and plan smarter for next year. Join the free 5-day email audit; add the live workshop on Thursday, November 6 for $15.
https://journeywithjill.net/audit

free download: Herbs Quick Reference Chart
One-page, printable cheat sheet for growing and using popular herbs.
http://journeywithjill.net/herbchart

Key Takeaways

  • Know your herb's life cycle (annual, biennial, perennial) and zone limits before winter.

  • Stop heavy pruning 4–6 weeks before first frost; save shaping for spring.

  • Cold + wet kills faster than cold alone—prioritize drainage and light mulch after first freeze.

  • For borderline zones, protect rosemary from wind; use frost cloth or natural boughs.

  • Bringing herbs indoors? Use bright light, let soil dry slightly between waterings, and check for pests.

Chapters

  • 00:00 – What to expect in winter

  • 03:00 – Rosemary: tender perennial tips

  • 07:00 – Sage: prune in early spring

  • 09:50 – Thyme: divide and overwinter inside

  • 12:20 – Oregano: harvest low before winter

  • 14:30 – Mint & lemon balm: dies back, returns

  • 16:50 – Chives: freeze better than dry

  • 18:40 – Perennial recap & zones

  • 21:50 – Parsley (biennial): winter + spring bolt

  • 24:30 – Cilantro: winter star, bolts in heat

  • 26:40 – Basil/dill: bring in or replant next year

  • 28:40 – General winter herb care

  • 31:00 – Final reminders

Resource Links

Sponsor(s) for this Episode

  • Organic Rev — I use Rev at transplant and before moving herbs indoors to support roots. Use code JILL10 for 10% off: http://journeywithjill.net/organicrev. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclaimer
Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance. Some links may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome. Today we're going to be talking about the herbs that you have been growing this year.

0:05.6

As a new gardener, I didn't know what to expect when I was growing herbs, especially as we headed

0:10.9

into winter. Would any of them survive? Did I need to do anything special? What should I even expect?

0:18.3

Like many new gardeners, I learned as I went, but today I want to share with you

0:23.1

what you can expect as you go into winter. Some of your herbs will actually survive outside,

0:29.5

and that was a surprise to me when I was a new gardener. But some of them you may choose to bring

0:35.4

inside, but there are some specifics you need to know if you

0:38.7

want to do that. And others, you're just going to say goodbye to and start them fresh next season

0:44.2

like you do your peppers and tomatoes. So if you're growing rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, mint,

0:51.9

and many others, when we're finished, you will know exactly what to expect as we head

0:57.5

into winter. Before we dig in, if you are ready to reflect on this past garden season and start dreaming

1:03.4

about what's next, I have created a free five-day garden audit email series just for you. Each day for five days, I'll guide you through

1:13.2

one short practical reflection so that you can identify what worked, what didn't, and what to do

1:19.9

for next season. You'll also have the option to join me for a live workshop on Thursday night.

1:27.0

That's this Thursday night where we will be

1:29.7

digging deeper together. And that's only $15 if you'd like to add it on to the free workshop series.

1:35.5

If you're listening to this, when this episode goes live, that's Thursday, November 6th,

1:41.1

and I would love to see you there. But you can sign up for the free email garden series

1:45.4

at journey withjill.net slash audit. As we talk about herbs, what we're going to do is we're going to

1:51.7

go herb by herb. We're going to talk about the life cycle of that particular herb, whether it is

1:57.8

annual, perennial, or biennial. we'll talk about zone hardiness because some of

2:03.4

these herbs are perennials, which means they should last over the winter, but it depends on how

...

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