Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) seeds, organic
$3.95 – $44.10
Family: Mint (Lamiacea)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 8
Evergreen perennial native to the Mediterranean, Russia, Syria, Iran and Turkestan. Flowers yellow to 2 feet tall. This is a classic tea herb. Traditional usage (TWM): life extension, high blood pressure, migraines, hysteria, melancholia, goiter, hyperthyroidism and Grave’s disease. Plant prefers shade to part sun and is not picky about the soil, although a rich soil will give improved yields. Light-dependent germinator. Scarify seeds lightly on fine sandpaper and sow outdoors in the fall or very early spring or provide 2 weeks of cold conditioning. Barely cover seeds with soil, tamp securely and keep evenly moist. Germination in 10-40 days. Plant 1 to 2 feet apart.
Packet contains 100 seeds
1 g contains ~2,000 seeds
5 g contains ~10,000 seeds
10 g contains ~20,000 seeds
Certified Organically Grown
Amy KOUSCH –
This plant exudes juicy lemon heaven. Superior germination. Three years of growing from SMS seed. Fantastic.
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james.magnus.bacon –
Hi Richo!
I’m in the second year of my 45 foot Lemon Balm bed and it is already fairly tall and going strong. I like harvesting the entire bed at one time and am wondering about how many cuts/harvests is average/appropriate for a season? And how many inches should I leave on the plant to help it regrow? Thank you!
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Richo Cech –
Hi James, you’re right in sync on this, we just harvested our’s on friday. Its reasonable to get 2 pre-flowering cuts on this per growing season. Cut just above any discolored bottom leaves, they regrow easily. richo
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Question
Wilma Wilfong (verified owner) –
Regarding Lemon Balm seeds I bought. The instructions say to score a five, but the seats are teeny tiny. Did I get the wrong seats or are they instruction team correct?
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Richo Cech –
hi wilma! Scarify by rubbing on medium grit sandpaper and plant. easy peasy. richo
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Question
Casey (verified owner) –
Mornin 🙂 I live in central Iowa. If I plant this in the fall, would I need to plant in early fall or does it matter? Will it winter over ok?
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Richo Cech –
Love central Iowa. I believe the lemon balm should be planted soon in order to build up enough resources to overwinter. Richo
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Casey (verified owner) –
Do you think it’s too late for this year? I don’t think we’re going to have very much, if any cool weather now until fall for the seeds to germinate. Should I just wait until next spring?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Casey, If you’d like a faster start, then I do recommend our potted lemon balm plants. I do not think it is too late in the year to start perennials–there is no such thing as “too late” when starting perennials. Richo
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Carolyn –
can I grow lemon balm in pots in Arizona
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Richo Cech –
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, it is a very tough plant. In AZ it may well need shade to keep from drying out.
Richo
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Gina L Miller –
Is this a perennial in zone 5? Does lemon balm reseed itself in zone 5.
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Richo Cech –
yes, lemon balm is perennial to Z4. The plant does love to reseed itself, usually in shade garden or woodlands. r
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Joanne East –
Performed well last year. Came back even better. Beautiful, useful plant.
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Christine Chandler –
Hello. I was given a lemon balm plant early last year and transplanted to a 2 gallon pot. I kept on back deck that gets only late afternoon sun but bright light throughout the day. After a couple months, it started dying back with the leaves drying out and falling. I brought it in for the winter because I was afraid the roots weren’t established and have been careful to make sure I water when the soil is dry to the depth of my middle knuckle. However, it is now nearly leafless. Any idea about what I did wrong? I was planning on putting it out in early spring in the garden. I don’t want to make the same mistakes as I love lemon balm tea and really want to grow it. Thank you for any advice you can give.
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Richo Cech –
Lemon balm is extremely cold-tolerant and acts like a standard herbaceous perennial. The plant always dies back aerially like that, it is natural. Cut back to ground level and it will make a fresh green growth and then go up to leaf and flower again. these are hard to kill. r
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