One of the prettiest members of the onion family, chives are a treat in the ornamental garden as well as on the veg plot or herb garden. Unfussy and easy to grow, they can be harvested for much of the year and from May onwards produce beautiful fluffy heads of pink, purple or white flowers. […]
Bay (Laurus nobilis) has long been used as a medicinal and culinary herb, however it is such a lovely plant in its own right that even if you only use a few leaves in the kitchen, it is still worth finding space for in the garden or as a patio shrub in a pot. Growing […]
Basil has become enormously popular for adding to pizzas, pesto and many other Mediterranean dishes. Plants are available year-round from the supermarket, but can be grown from seed very easily on a sunny windowsill as well as in pots and containers on a warm patio in summer. Plants can be kept from year to year, […]
Growing herbs at home Many of your home-grown herbs will be available from spring and right through the summer. A few, such as coriander, are short-lived and do need to be sown on a regular basis if they are to be picked at their best. Generally speaking the more often herbs are picked, the more […]
Most herbs need very little attention once planted. However, just a little care will pay dividends and ensure that your plants look great and produce plenty of fresh leaves and stems for you to use in the kitchen or on the barbecue whenever needed through the summer months. Pruning and trimming This is critical for […]
Herb wheel A traditional way of growing herbs was to place a cartwheel on the ground and plant up between the spokes. There are not so many cart wheels about now but you can use the principle and make your own round bed with terracotta edging and spokes of the wheel and then a centre […]
Herbs for windowsills Basil Parsley Coriander Herbs for hot spots Rosemary Sage Lavender Herbs to make low hedging Cotton lavender Hyssop Lavender Curry plant Rosemary Hanging over edge of walls Corsican blue rosemary Creeping thymes Dappled shade Angelica Bergamot Comfrey (symphytum) Feverfew Mustard garlic Wild garlic Mint Sorrel Rock garden herbs Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) […]
All the advice you need to grow herbs on the patio or veg plot Kitchen Garden magazine and Hartley Botanic brings you simple advice on easy-grow herbs. From practical advice on growing herbs in containers or pots or bags, using herbs in cooking, storing herbs and maintaining your herbs. Of course, you‘ll also get the […]
What an old fashioned winter, it‘s been! Old country lore is that it‘s ‘February fill dyke‘, but it‘s not just the rain that‘s done the damage, the melted snow has turned the whole garden into a sodden puddle of clay and filled nearby ditches as well! The grass around my fruit trees is waterlogged, the […]
Now this is one of the finest conservatory and warm greenhouse plants you can grow. It is not quite, but almost, hardy in some varieties. Well it will survive a single short snap, but will expire if kept too cold for long. However it does not need much heat and it’s easy to grow replacements […]
Tomatoes are fun to grow, nutritious and tasty. Follow our comprehensive guide to growing this essential crop Most people will have a bash at growing a few tomato plants at some stage; even those with no more than a balcony can plant up a growing-bag. And the wonderful thing about this crop is that providing […]
Taste sun-ripened home-grown sweetcorn and you’ll be hooked; shop-bought cobs will never have the same appeal. Children love mini corn and can even grow their own popcorn and this is the ideal time to sow. Follow our no-nonsense guide to sure-fire success Sweetcorn just oozes sweetness and flavour, but as soon as it is picked […]
