Will some herbs 'strangle' other herbs if I plant them in the same planter?

I have planted a whole heap of different herbs in one herb planter; but as you can see, a few of them are outgrowing the rest and I'm scared they're going to take over and strangle the other herbs growing ability. The three in question are mint, flat-leaf parsley and coriander. Does anyone know if they are likely to take over, and if so, do you think it's safe enough to just carefully dig them out and plant them somewhere else?

 

03/11/2012  12:01 am by tracyh

I am not a gardening expert, however I do have experience around growing mint! I planted some mint, parsley and basil in a strip of garden down the side of my house one spring, and by the end of summer EVERYTHING had been strangled by the mint and it was snaking its way though the whole garden! My advice would be to remove the mint and put it in its own planter box - it's as close to an edible 'weed' as you can get, so it will re-establish itself easily. The other herbs may be a bit delicate to transplant.

 

03/11/2012  2:27 am by Wordsmith65

One good trick I've discovered is potting different herbs IN their small pots, into one big pot - so it looks like a lovely big mix of herbs, but the root systems are all separated to keep them apart. Just a bit worried that if you try and dig one out, the roots may have become entangled and you could end up 'unpotting' the lot!

 

04/11/2012  6:35 pm by Pip Mehrtens - Green Ideas

Perfect, thanks guys. I have managed to carefully dig out the mint, parsley and coriander and replant elsewhere. But I see what you mean about the mint! Its roots were definitely the hardest to get out as they were already entangled with a couple of the neighbouring plants. Think I got there just in time.

 

07/11/2012  6:32 am by Pip Mehrtens - Green Ideas

Just a quick update FYI - the mint has replanted nicely, hardy little fella it seems, but my poor parsley and coriander have not enjoyed the move quite so much... Right now they are flopping sadly, clearly upset with me for moving them from their lovely nutrient-rich home, but I am hoping they will recover over the next few days!