Grow Your Own Magazine

I had three bay leave plants. Kept ndoors over last winter. Put out middle of summer, one died. Should I bring them indoors again? When do I need to repot? Thanks folks

Where do you live, Doesthecooking? Here in East Anglia my bay has survived outside in a large pot for three years now, against the back wall of the cottage (fairly sheltered). I think they suffer more from wind damage than they do from frost. You also need to be watchful with the watering. I wouldn't repot until spring when growth starts again.

I've brought mine into the greenhouse, but purely because I have loads of room for it indoors at this time of year and better safe than sorry!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Hi DTC, Bays are semi hardy,they can put up with the bad weather until it gets really bad and then they need a little help. I have two in large pots that are still in a sheltered spot in the garden. Usually, the real bad weather kicks in around the end of January to February, I then bring them into an outhouse to shelter from the wind and heavy frost. I bought them three and a half years ago and they seem happy with this arangement. I've not repotted them yet but I agree with Rustylady, spring is a good time

Cover mine with hivernage, the fleecy stuff and leave it outside against the back wall of the house, seems to work ok last winter.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

Mine has been living - in the ground - for 8 years in draughty East Yorkshire and if I didn't keep cutting it back for cooking (and church flower arranging) it would be massive. It's about 7 ft high and 4 - 5 across as it is. I think if they have a good root system they are hardier than you think. It's the potted ones that suffer.

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 1st 2008

Outdoors with fleece and extra wrap for any really cold periods should do it.
If you keep it near the house too the warmth from the bricks should help a bit too.
I'd keep it pretty dry too.

Thanks folk. I live in Merseyside where winters are generally milder comparted to the res to f the country

I'm not that far from you and I bring mine into the unheated greenhouse for the winter. Having said that, I also have a really ratty one which I thought I had killed which was outside last winter and seems to be very healthy again now so maybe it did it good - worth remembering though that round here we only got about 5 days of frost, incredibly mild and that may well not be the case this winter.

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I have a 10yr old bay tree, repotted last spring for only the second time in its life. It has always lived outdoors, near the house wall, first on the Wirral and now in Bucks and has always been fine. Are there some varieties which are more hardy maybe? I've never moved mine other than from house to house (twice) and never had any trouble with it at all.

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I have a small bay tree in a pot outside & it's been outside for donkey's years with no ill effects. I think it may have rooted out through the bottom of the pot though & that's why it does so well. If your plants are still small they may need some protection.

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Well I brought them in doors - just before it got really vcold before the holiday period Already have signs of new growth.

They are now just over a year old and between 12 -15 inches high. At what stage can I begin picking the leaves?

outdoors in a sheltered spot, mine are doing just fine

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Mine in the ground (mentioned above) had thick snow on it yesterday. It's really very tough even though it's in quite a windy spot. It never did very well in its pot until we moved here and stuck it in the ground. It's never looked back!

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Some days you're the statue, some days you're the pigeon!

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 1st 2008

Mine's still outside this year on a sheltered patio - as I said earlier, usually put it in the greenhouse over winter but not bothered this year. Have always got the option of moving it if we get a long cold spell but am quite liking having it near the back door so I can get leaves for cooking when ever I need them.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

My bay tree is now around 10 years old and has lived all its life outside in a big pot - first in Cheshire and now in South Bucks - and it's perfectly fine and happy.

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

They are more hardy if in the ground - its in pots that the cold CAN do real damage. I agree that wind could be the problem as mine is sheltered but very cold and is doing fine, but I didn't plant it out until about 3 years old. I'd been cropping the odd leaf (lets face it you only need 1 or 2 fresh ones for a stew) from the beginning, but you have to be more selctive about WHERE to pick when they only have a few leaves!!

Its another of these plants, like Rosemary, that once its settled it'll survive anything and grow like the clappers.

LCG