Lemon Grass in Zone 5 ('burbs)

I know it's not winter hardy, but it sounds like it grows profusely. I'm wondering if I can plant some in the garden and harvest by late summer. Then before the weather gets cold, dig some up and pot it to hold in a cold place during the winter (to be replanted in the garden once risk of frost is past.)

Has anyone tried this?

I'll be doing the same thing with Rosemary (which I discovered is not hardy 'round here. )

thanks,
hank

I'm not sure if this helps, but I know an organic farmer in Chenoa, IL who has grown lemongrass in the past. Chenoa is not too far from Bloomington.

I've often planted lemon grass in planters as an alternative 'spike'. It's grown quite well, though, as I always have harvested it in the fall I don't know how it will overwinter.
I've got my thumbs crossed on the rosemary that survived last winter's snowless cold. Hopefully it will green up once again.

Vital Information wrote:I'm not sure if this helps, but I know an organic farmer in Chenoa, IL who has grown lemongrass in the past. Chenoa is not too far from Bloomington.

I presume he was replanting it every spring as it is supposed to be hardy to about 30°F That's more or less what I was thinking - bringing some of the plant inside to winter over and put it back in the garden in the spring.

bean wrote:I've often planted lemon grass in planters as an alternative 'spike'. It's grown quite well, though, as I always have harvested it in the fall I don't know how it will overwinter.
I've got my thumbs crossed on the rosemary that survived last winter's snowless cold. Hopefully it will green up once again.

Good to hear that it grows to harvest within our season.

I hope your rosemary is better protected or hardier than mine. I brought some plants in after the first cold spell and none made it. Even the parsley roots I brought inside did not survive. I did order some Madeline Hill Rosemary which is suppose to be somewhat hardier but I will still bring some in before it gets too cold just in case.

I've grown lemon grass in pots (not much of a yard) with great success. At the end of the season, I cut the stalks into pieces and freeze them.

Rosemary is very hard to grow indoors.

Thanks, Rick and wish me luck, I guess.

Edit: Picked up some lemon grass from Caputo's 'fresh herbs' so the experiment begins with how easy these root. I've got some in a warm window sill and others in a not so warm window sill, with and without rooting powder.

Rick T. wrote:Rosemary is very hard to grow indoors.

I had tried Rosemary in past but no success.

The first part of this experiment is pretty successful. Results are as follows:

Starting from cuttings purchased at the store: What I got at Caputos were little prepackaged 5" chunks. Later on I saw some at Valli that were regular stalks about a foot long. Neither rooted when put in potting mix but both rooted when put in a jar of water. Once they had roots I potted them and then planted in the garden when the weather warmed.

Growing in the garden: They seemed to get off to a slow start but eventually thrived. The ones in the sunniest spots did the best. They're easy to harvest by grabbing a stalk or bunch of stalks that come from a common point and rocking back and forth to separate from the parent plant. I'm enjoying some lemon grass tea as I type this. (lemon grass in hot water with some agave sweetener - KISS )

The next step will be to pot some up and see if it survives the winter in a sunny window sill. Even if it does not, I know I can have some by late summer from cuttings I start in early spring.

As I noted in another thread, I advocate growing lemon verbena as a superior substitute for lemon grass. Better flavor, no textural issues, and easier use that is less damaging to the plant. Try it next year, and I bet you'll be a convert, too.

While I like verbena, I don't find it to be a sub for lemongrass--flavors are quite different. Verbena is much fruitier. I actually think it smells like fruit loops--makes a fun syrup--but doesn't do the job of lemongrass in soups and teas.

And I grew both this year--had never had much luck with lemongrass in the past--this year's batch is huge-- looking forward to making a batch of Tom Yum soon!!