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It's hot this weekend - after a brief first Spring we are skipping second Spring and going straight to Summer. It's beautiful, blue and hot and today, at least, the poison wind seems to have died down. I've spent the morning ripping up all the weeds that appear to have exploded in the…
Last edited on October 28, 2026. View history
Lemon Balm
Also known as
balm (EN)
balm mint (EN)
How to sow lemon balm: Direct seed indoors, transplant seedlings outside after hardening off.
Sun requirement for lemon balm: Plant in Partial Sun
Lemon Balm is a perennial herb in the mint family that flowers during the summer and gives off a strong lemon scent. In hot climates, a little shade can be beneficial, helping the plant to produce larger and more flavorful leaves. Lemon Balm is used in teas, salads, as an ornamental, and in aromatherapy. Like mint, Lemon Balm can aggressively spread throughout the garden - planting it in a container can keep this in check.
- 15
- plantings
- 0
- harvests
- 1
- seed packet
Lemon balm facts
Lifespan
Perennial
living more than two years
Height × spread
100cm × 40cmRow Spacing
30cm
Optimal temperature
14–25 °C
Absolute temperature
6–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
800–1000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
500–1300 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5–6
Absolute soil pH
4.5–7.8
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
60–140 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
2000 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For lemon balm, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 6°C and a shortest growing cycle of 60 days at its best temperature, about 810 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your lemon balm will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow lemon balm
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Plant lemon balm with
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Lemon balm crops
Lemon balm plantings
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Where lemon balm grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about lemon balm
sorrels
mint
Who's planted lemon balm
- Skud Thornbury side garden · Ballarat, Victoria,...
- piranha Front Garden · East Coast, Central...
- lunitaire Garden
- shiny South garden · Wellington, NZ
- futuransky potted herb garden · Takoma Park, MD
Lemon balm harvests
Nobody has harvested this crop yet.
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 60 to 140 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Melissa officinalis L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Lamiales Labiatae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -20 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | perennial |
| Habit | erect, prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about lemon balm
Resources outside Growstuff.
