• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
DIY Doctor

Main navigation

      • Project Type A - E
      • All Projects
      • Brick, Block, Masonry and Concrete
      • Damp, Condensation, Rot and Woodworm
      • Doors, Windows and Conservatories
      • Electrical
      • Project Type F - G
      • Fencing, Decking, Paving and Patios
      • Floors, Walls, Ceilings and Lofts
      • Garages, Sheds and Outbuildings
      • Gardening and Landscaping
      • General Building, Self Build and Renovation
      • Project Type G - J
      • General Repairs and Cleaning
      • Green Living and Eco DIY
      • Ground, Foundations and Drainage
      • Heating, Central Heating and Boilers
      • Joinery and Carpentry
      • Project Type M - P
      • Materials, Fixings and Fixing
      • Painting, Decorating and Finishing
      • Planning Regs, Project Management and Safety
      • Plastering, Plasterboard and Rendering
      • Plumbing
      • Project Type R - T
      • Roofing and Gutters
      • Tiling and Tiles
      • Tools, Appliances and Access
      • Useful Tips
      • DIY Tips
      • Find a Tradesman
      • Contract Download
      • Working With Tradesmen - Ultimate Guide
      • Home Improver Protection
      • Price Doctor
      • About DIY Doctor
      • What we do
      • Trade Shows and Exhibitions
      • Master Classes
      • Book Store
      • Contact Us
      • Feedback
      • DIY Competitions

Home > DIY How To Projects and Tutorial Guides > Growing Supermarket Herbs

Growing Supermarket Herbs

Find out all about growing supermarket herbs correctly to make sure they survive and how you can then double the amount that they produce. Learn how to get the most from the herbs that you buy from the supermarket.

TwitterFacebookPin ItBuffer

Don't want to do this job yourself? Let us help you find a tradesman local to you

Project Page Menu
  • How to Tutorial
  • Video
  • Find Tradesmen
  • Help

Growing plants from seed is definitely the cheapest way to propagate plants for your garden, if you have the space to sow them and pot them on.

However if you are an urban-living gardener you might only have a window sill or balcony to grow your own herbs.

One of the things you can do is get a great double use out of your supermarket living herbs, by using some of them in cooking, and potting on the rest for later. You can even take cuttings from mint plants which will happily root and grow into new plants.

This pot was picked up in the bargain section of the supermarket, and cost 29p.

Mint Plant

Mint plant

Why Supermarket Plants Fail

Overcrowding – The way that supermarkets make a good crop in a small container is to intensively plant the pot with more herb plants than the pot can sustain over a length of time. This is why the herbs you buy form the supermarket don’t live very long – unless you are lucky.

Intensive farming – Often the plants are produced quickly and hastily to make them cost effective for the grower and the supermarket. You will see from this picture that the 4 inch pot (10cm) has 3 mint plants stuffed into it. Each plant has been grown in a small ‘plug’ and three of these have been pushed into the compost, although you can in this case the plugs have not been firmly and fully inserted into the compost. This is another reason that supermarket herbs don’t thrive.

Overcrowded Herbs in a Pot

Overcrowded Herbs in a Pot

Wrong compost – Often supermarket plants are planted in soil or compost that is wrong for the plant. In the case of my mint this soil too moisture-retaining for it to be happy, and so this can lead to the leaves getting mould or black spot.

Neglect – staff in the supermarkets don’t have the time (or experience) to care for living plants, and so they need to be sold quickly so they find a loving home before they suffer from neglect.

How to Make Three Plants out of one

You can carefully separate out the three plants from the pot.

  1. Give the pot a good soak before you try to remove the plants. Place the mint pot in a container that is taller than the pot, fill it with water so the level is above the top of the pot and allow the plant to soak up the water for about 20 minutes.
  2. Herb Pot Well Watered

    Herb Pot Well Watered

  3. Drain off the excess water and allow the mint to drain for about 5 minutes
  4. Tip the pot out and carefully separate the roots from each of the 3 plants, try to cause as little damage as possible
  5. Carefully Separate Herb Plants at the Roots

    Carefully Separate Herb Plants at the Roots

  6. Re-pot each of the plants into 10cm/4 inch pots, using a mixture of potting compost and grit. Mint likes a free draining soil
  7. Trim the top growth (see below)

When plants have suffered a bit of root damage they prefer their top growth to be trimmed too, so if you haven’t already used your mint tops in your cooking or Pimms then prune each plant by about a third of their length.

Water the plants again and find them a sheltered spot on the balcony or windowsill to recover from their ordeal.

Newely Potted Herb Plant

Newely Potted Herb Plant

The plants will soon start sprouting new growth, and when they are getting a bit big for their pots you can plant them in the garden if you have one. Alternatively you can invest in some attractive pots that will brighten up your balcony and will look great if you bring them inside.

If you have 3 plants on the go, you can have a rotating system where you have a usable bush on your kitchen windowsill, the recently pruned one and the regrowing one can live outside, until they are ready to swap back with the kitchen one.

If you use three different styles of pot you can keep changing your interior look too!

Even More Plants

You can also propagate mint and many other plants by rooting them in water before potting them on.

  1. Take a cutting, approximately 10 cm long (4 inches) using scissors or a sharp knife
  2. Mint Plant Cuttings

    Mint Plant Cuttings

  3. Remove all the lower leaves to prevent them rotting in the water
  4. Place the mint cuttings in a container of water. I like to use a glass or jam jar so I can see the root growth when it happens
  5. Place them out of direct sunshine and keep an eye on the water level
  6. Once the roots show you can pot the small plants into a mixture of compost and grit and place in a sheltered position to flourish and grow (as for the plants above)
Mint Plant Ready to Pot

Mint Plant Ready to Pot

All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards, founder of DIY Doctor and industry expert in building technology.

TwitterFacebookPin ItBuffer

Video

Back to the Top

Apologies, but we don't seem to have a video for this project yet, but we will do our best to get one up soon

Find a Reliable Local Tradesman

Back to the Top
Don't fancy doing this project yourself? We work with the industries best to ensure that we recommend only reliable and trustworthy tradesmen.
Let DIY Doctor help you find a tradesman

Find a tradesman now!


Give us Some Feedback!

We love feedback on our DIY tutorials it helps us to make them the best they possibly can be so if you have any comments you would like to share with us, click the button below and let us know.

Primary Sidebar

Master Basic DIY - By DIY Doctor

Our Book - Master Basic DIY

Grab your copy now for all the DIY help you need right at your finger tips!

Buy it Here!

Signup for our Newsletter

Keep up to date with our DIY projects, tips and latest deals

Sign Me Up!

Our Sponsors

Find out about advertising on DIY Doctor

Advertisments

Footer

DIY Doctor company logo

Here at DIY Doctor, we offer completely free DIY and construction help and advice to any and all, from professional tradesmen, exactly as they would do it.

We have hundreds of DIY project tutorials covering all aspects of building and DIY that provide step by step instructions on how to complete your given task.

If you need a little help then we also have an active question and answer forum and a find a trademan service and much more.

Site Menu

  • DIY Doctor Ltd,
    The Workshop,
    Newbury Works, Somerset,
    BA3 5RX

  • 0845 6342 179

  • Contact Us

  • Company Number: 05863375
  • VAT Number: 811134774

Other Stuff

  • About DIY Doctor
  • Contact DIY Doctor
  • Media and Press
  • DIY Projects
  • UK DIY Forum
  • DIY Doctor Suppliers
  • DIY Webinars

DIY Doctor Social Channels

  • Advertise
  • Competitions
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Information
  • NHIC
  • Sitemap

DIY Doctor are members of:

© DIY Doctor Ltd 2025 All Rights Reserved