GROWING HERBS
Herbs such as basil, oregano, chives and rosemary are easy to grow at home, providing you with fresh, tasty leaves to use in soups, stews, casseroles and salads, as well as desserts and cocktails. Herbs have other uses, too – many have long been valued for their medicinal properties and are still found in herbal remedies today.
Most herbs thrive in full sun in a sheltered position. You can grow herbs indoors on the windowsill, in pots outdoors or straight in the ground
HOW TO
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Sow seeds of annual herbs like basil and coriander every couple of weeks to provide you with fresh leaves throughout summer. Plant perennial herbs such as oregano, rosemary, chives and mint in pots or in the ground and harvest the leaves as and when you need them. Save seed from annual herbs at the end of the year before composting the plants, but keep hold of your perennial herbs – they should grow again the following year.
There are so many varieties of herbs so we have selected a few of favorites.
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Mint - Mint is really easy to grow but best grown on its own in a pot, as it can take over other herbs growing alongside it. There's a huge range of mint to grow, from regular spearmint to chocolate mint and even ginger mint. Add fresh chopped leaves to boiled new potatoes, use to make a mint sauce, to add to home-made mojito cocktails. Mint is a hardy perennial that’s not really worth growing from seed, as it’s so easy to grow from root cuttings or young plants planted in the spring or autumn. It does best in well-drained, fertile soil in light shade, where the roots will stay moist but never become waterlogged. For the best flavour, keep cutting mint to stimulate new leafy growth. After flowering is over in late summer, cut mint plants back to just above soil level and feed with a high-nitrogen fertiliser to encourage a fresh flush of leaves for autumn picking. You can start harvesting as soon as leaves appear above in spring and continue through to the first frosts. Nipping out the tips of the stems will encourage the plants to bush out.
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Parsley - This is a biennial herb, but it's best to grow it as an annual, sowing seed every few weeks. Unlike most herbs, it's best to grow parsley in partial shade, where it's less likely to bolt into flower. Parsley has many culinary uses, working particularly well in soups and stews. Native to the Mediterranean, parsley (Petrosilenum crispum) is a rich source of vitamin C and iron, and is said to cure bad breath and cleanse the skin. Parsley is a biennial, meaning it lives for two years, growing leaves in the first year, then flowering in the second, before setting seed. For this reason parsley is treated as an annual and it's best to sow seed each year. Grow curled and flat leaf parsley in moist but well-drained soil in sun to partial shade. Growing parsley in pots is also very easy. Harvest the leaves as and when you need to. Sow seed every few weeks for a successional harvest.
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Thyme - Thyme is small in stature but big on flavour. It's delicious paired with roasted veg, soups and roasts. It makes a fine addition to gin, too. Like mint, there are very many cultivars of thyme, with different scents and flavours – lemon thyme is excellent with fish. Grow thyme in well-drained soil in full sun. Some varieties of thyme work well planted in gravel gardens, cracks in paving or as an alternative to a lawn. Others do best in pots, which you can bring indoors in autumn. Cut back thyme after flowering and protect tender species in winter. Thyme is an evergreen perennial, so leaves can be picked fresh all year round. However, the best time to pick thyme is in early summer, when the plant is at its most productive, before flowering.
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Rosemary - This herb has an unmistakable aroma and can be picked all year round for use in soups, sauces and stews. Grow rosemary in full sun in moist but well-drained soil. Trim mature plants back to stope them becoming woody. Grow rosemary in well-drained soil in full sun. Young plants can suffer if their roots are sitting in wet soil in winter, so it's a good idea to grow rosemary in a container for a couple of years before planting into the garden. Cut back annually to prevent the plant from becoming woody, and mulch in autumn with leaf mould, well-rotted compost or manure. Plant rosemary in spring or autumn. Although rosemary is frost-hardy, the combination of cold and waterlogging can kill immature plants. With this in mind, choose a well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered spot. If you have a cold clay soil, dig in lots of bark, grit or leaf mould to improve drainage. Alternatively, grow rosemary in a pot. Harvest rosemary by gently pulling small sprigs away from the main stem. You can also use secateurs to remove large branches of rosemary, for roasting.
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Coriander - This is a staple ingredient in Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. All parts of the plant are edible – leaves, stalks and seeds (which have a wonderful, orangey aroma). Sow coriander seed every few weeks for a continuous supply of fresh leaves throughout summer. Grow coriander in moist but well-drained soil or compost from spring to autumn. For a successional harvest throughout summer, sow seeds every two weeks. Water coriander plants regularly and harvest when you need to.
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Sage - Another Mediterranean herb, sage makes a wonderful addition to risotto, pasta and gnocci recipes. Grow sage in well-drained soil in full sun. Annual and biennial sages can be grown from seed, while perennial sages are best grown from young plants. Many sages do well in pots. Harvest the leaves as and when you need to and trim back perennial types after flowering.
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Tarragon - French tarragon is considered the best tarragons to grow. It has a strong aniseed flavour, making it an essential ingredient in sauces. Mash French tarragon with butter and spread over chicken before oven roasting. A perennial herb, French tarragon does not flower or produce seed reliably and is therefore propagated by cuttings or root division. If you can’t take cuttings from a friend, it’s best to buy small plants to grow on in your garden. Pick the leaves frequently, to encourage the production of fresh new leaves. As long as your plant doesn’t flower, the leaves will keep coming, so nip out any buds that do make an appearance. French Tarragon is borderline hardy, so move to a sheltered position in the winter. The leafy top will die back over winter, but should show signs of new growth in early spring. Snip shoots off and pick leaves off the stems, as and when you need them through the growing season.