Lemon balm

Lemon balm: plant 45 cm (18 in) apart in the row and 60 cm (24 in) between rows, 1 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	45 cm (18 in)
Between rows	60 cm (24 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	25 cm (10 in)
Height when grown	60 cm (24 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, by dividing a clump
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	7
Sowing depth	0.5 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 13 °C, best 18–24 °C
Days to emerge	7–21 days
Light while germinating	Needs light, barely cover
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 13 °C

Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Days to first harvest	70–100 days, from planting
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 20–30 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.6 kg per plant
Botanical family	Lamiaceae
Watch out for	Aphids, powdery mildew
First crop after	1 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Open the free planner, drop Lemon balm onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Sow outdoors	Apr–May
Harvest	May–Oct

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

Plants of the Lamiaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.