Of all our herbs, parsley is perhaps the most widely grown on the allotment, being useful as a garnish and ingredient in lots of traditional dishes. Being biennial (growing one year, setting seeds and dying the next), it is necessary to grow a fresh supply every year. Varieties Several types of leafy parsley are popular, […]
Mint is instantly identifiable – just brush those leaves to create a waft of glorious mint, peppermint, spearmint or a dozen delicious variations including apple, pineapple, chocolate and lemon. Some are attractive to look at, too; the leaves of pineapple mint have an attractive downy covering to their grey-green foliage while ginger mint has gold […]
Marjoram and its close cousin oregano are pretty plants and well worth growing as an edging in the flower border as well as alongside alpine plants in a rock garden or a container. As well as the delicate leaves, which come in shades of green and gold depending on the variety, the little flowers in […]
Varieties There are two main types, Florence fennel with its green leaves and bronze fennel with beautifully deep-coloured foliage. But of Florence fennel, there are lots of varieties which have been bred for their superior taste, yield or resistance to bolting. Try ‘Mantevano‘ or ‘Montebianco‘, both with large, white crunchy bulbs, ‘Victoria‘ or ‘Amigo F1‘, […]
This parsley-like herb has a distinctive flavour and aroma all its own. Try it with curries and other Asian dishes or add a few leaves to fresh green salads to give them a twist. Of course also an essential ingredient of the ever-popular carrot and coriander soup. Both the leaves and seeds are useful in […]
This parsley-like herb has a distinctive flavour and aroma all its own. Try it with curries and other Asian dishes or add a few leaves to fresh green salads to give them a twist. Of course also an essential ingredient of the ever-popular carrot and coriander soup. Both the leaves and seeds are useful in […]
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 […]
