[f&vlady]

Hi, planted parsley, sage, thyme and chives in large window box last March, everything grew well but now parts of the parsley and chives are turning yellow, I water when needed and feed occasionally, new growth is still happening, is this yellowing normal? should I remove it or will it damage plants? any answers would be appreciated as it's my first attempt. I'd also like to know how long will the herb box last? (that's if there's nothing seriously wrong with it now) or do you have to plant new one each year?

[Sive]

I'm really no expert, but I have never been successful with parsley in a pot, only in open ground......it always turned yellow, like yours is doing. The other problem is that you are putting very different plants into the one window box.....thyme and sage presumably need quite different conditions to the others, thriving in hot and dry soil.
I would just remove the dying bits of the herbs and hope that they continue to grow.

[Liparis]

If your compost is a peat-based one, then you may have to feed more regularly, peat doesn't hold food or trace elements. Some dry farmyard manure in the bottom of containers acts as a better slow release fertiliser than any you could buy, with traces included. Don't feed with cheap fertilisers, they may not have all the trace elements required, buy good quallity. The only cheap fertiliser worth buying is growmore, it's become so cheap through popularity rather than cheap ingredients.
Your plants sound as though something is lacking as they keep making new leaves then yellowing and dying as they mature. My guess would be nitrogen, the first element to leach out of any soil, especially the non-retentive peat-based.
Bill.

[f&vlady]

Hi Sive and Liparis, thank you for advice. This gardening lark is a minefield lol, I think I'm going to become a pain in the u know what with all my questions but I'd really love to make a go of it and earn my "greenfingers". Lots of trial and error ahead for this f&vlady!!