Lemon Balm in Zone 6B — Texas

Lemon Balm is a fantastic addition to your Texas garden, offering a refreshing lemony flavor perfect for teas, salads, and even cocktails. Plus, it's incredibly satisfying to harvest your own herbs straight from the backyard, especially since we can often get two good harvests with our long growing season here.

While we deal with unpredictable weather and the occasional extreme heat, Lemon Balm is adaptable enough to thrive. Our 230-day growing season gives you plenty of time to get it established and enjoy its bounty. Just keep a few key things in mind, and you'll be sipping homemade lemon balm tea in no time.

Starting Lemon Balm indoors gives you a head start, especially with our early springs. If you want to get a jump on the season, aim to start your seeds indoors in early to late February, about six weeks before you plan to transplant.

Use seed trays with a good seed-starting mix and keep them in a warm spot with plenty of light – a sunny windowsill or under grow lights works great. A little trick I use is bottom watering: set the tray in a shallow dish of water until the soil surface is moist. This helps prevent damping off. Even though spring comes early here, starting indoors avoids any late freezes that come through.

Transplanting your Lemon Balm seedlings outdoors is best done in late March through late April. Before you plant, be sure to harden them off by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions for about a week.

Choose a spot with full sun to partial shade, and space your plants about 18-24 inches apart. Keep an eye on the weather forecast – we can still get some unpredictable freezes during this time, so be ready to cover your seedlings if needed.

Direct sowing Lemon Balm is a viable option, especially if you're a bit late getting started or want to succession plant. You can sow seeds directly into the garden from late March through mid August.

Make sure the soil is well-drained and has warmed up a bit. Gently press the seeds into the soil, keeping them about 18-24 inches apart once they sprout. Keep the soil consistently moist until the seedlings emerge. Direct sowing is easier, but be aware that germination can be a bit slower than starting indoors.

Lemon Balm needs moderate watering to thrive in our Texas climate. It's not drought-tolerant, so you need to pay attention, especially during the brutal Texas heat of summer.

A good rule of thumb is to water deeply once or twice a week, providing about 1-2 inches of water each time. Use the finger test: stick your finger about 2 inches into the soil. If it feels dry, it's time to water. In the hotter months, you may need to water more frequently. Variable humidity means overhead watering can sometimes lead to fungal issues, so try to water at the base of the plant.

Signs of underwatering include wilting leaves and stunted growth. Overwatering can lead to yellowing leaves and root rot. Adding a layer of mulch around your Lemon Balm helps retain moisture and regulate soil temperature, which is especially helpful during our hot summers and unpredictable rainfall.

Pruning Lemon Balm is pretty straightforward. The main thing is to keep it from getting too leggy and to control its spread.

In midsummer, cut the plant back by about half to encourage bushier growth and prevent it from becoming too woody. Also, remove any flower stalks as soon as you see them to prevent self-seeding, since Lemon Balm can be quite aggressive. As the first frost approaches around early November, you can give the plant a final trim to tidy it up for the winter.

You can start harvesting Lemon Balm leaves as soon as the plant is established, typically from early June through mid November here in Texas. The leaves have the best flavor before the plant flowers, so keep an eye out for those flower stalks and remove them.

To harvest, simply snip off the leaves you need, being careful not to take more than a third of the plant at any one time. This encourages continued production. As the first frost approaches in early November, harvest as much as you can and consider preserving it by drying or freezing, though fresh is always best.

Here are some common issues you might encounter with Lemon Balm in Texas:

Aggressive Spreading

• What it looks like: Lemon Balm popping up in areas where you didn't plant it.
• What causes it: Lemon Balm readily self-seeds and spreads via underground stems.
• How to fix/prevent it: Remove flower stalks before they go to seed. Plant in containers to restrict root spread. Be vigilant about pulling up unwanted seedlings.

Bolting

• What it looks like: The plant sends up a flower stalk prematurely, and the leaves become bitter or tough.
• What causes it: Triggered by heat, long days, or drought stress, all of which we can experience in Texas.
• How to fix/prevent it: Plant in partial shade, especially during the hottest part of the day. Keep the soil consistently moist. Remove flower stalks as soon as you see them.

Powdery Mildew

• What it looks like: White or grayish powdery coating on leaves and stems.
• What causes it: Fungi that thrive in warm days, cool nights, and moderate humidity, which we definitely get during our spring and fall.
• How to fix/prevent it: Improve air circulation by spacing plants properly and pruning. Remove affected leaves. Apply neem oil or potassium bicarbonate sprays. A milk spray (1 part milk to 9 parts water) can also be effective.

Texas Specific Challenges: The hot-to-extreme heat and variable humidity in Texas can exacerbate bolting and powdery mildew. Unpredictable rainfall can also lead to periods of drought stress followed by overly wet conditions, so consistent monitoring is key.

Lemon Balm makes a good companion plant for several vegetables in your Texas garden.

Good companions:

• Tomatoes: Lemon Balm is said to repel certain pests that bother tomatoes, and the shade from tomato plants can help protect Lemon Balm from the Texas heat.
• Squash: It can deter squash bugs and vine borers.
• Broccoli and Cauliflower: Lemon Balm can help repel cabbage moths, which are a common pest for these brassicas.

Bad companions:

• Avoid planting near other mint family members, as they can compete for resources and lead to aggressive spreading.