Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
A vegetable, planted at any time of year, or sown March to June.
In September: lift and divide the lemon balm. It can be planted now.
Your first month is free. No card. Then £4.99 a month or £39.99 a year. You sign in with a link we email you, with no password.
Lemon balm, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none | none |
| Plant out. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none |
| Plant a pot-grown lemon balm. | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Cut back the lemon balm. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Lift and divide the lemon balm. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
| Harvest the lemon balm. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Cut the lemon balm back hard after flowering. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover March to May, 1mm deep. Strong sources: RHS and Garden Organic.
Sow outdoors May to June, 0.5cm deep, 45cm apart. Strong sources: RHS and Jekka’s. Weaker source for the depth: Suba Seeds.
Plant out in May, 45cm apart. Strong sources: RHS and Garden Organic.
Plant a pot-grown lemon balm at any time of year, 45cm apart. Strong source: RHS. Weaker source for the spacing: Caledonian Horticulture.
Cut back the lemon balm
With a knife, shears or secateurs, cut old stems close to the base, avoiding any new shoots.
Usually March. Strong source: RHS.
Lift and divide the lemon balm
Usually March to May, and September to November. Strong source: RHS.
Harvest the lemon balm
Usually March to August. Strong source: RHS.
Cut the lemon balm back hard after flowering
Gardeners call this the Hampton hack.
Almost to the ground, straight after its first flowers. Fresh leaves follow, and often a second flush of flowers.
Usually June to July. Moderate source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.Weaker: a blog, a forum, a small website or a page from outside the UK. Treat it as a guide.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Lemon balm” comes from.