Lemon balm
Herb · warm season · also called melissa
When to plant
- Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before planting out.
- Plant outdoors about around your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 60 days after planting out.
Spreads by seed; cut back before it flowers.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Harmful to pets. Can upset cats' and dogs' stomachs if they eat much of it.
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Spacing
- 18 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 60°F
- Time to harvest
- About 60 days
- Containers
- At least 2 gallons
- Plant family
- Mint family (herbs)
- Harvest per plant
- About 0.5 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 4 years
Companions
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Grow it well
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