Grow Your Own Herbs

A collection of aromatic, fresh home-grown herbs is a great asset for your kitchen.

Having a plentiful supply to hand, when they are in season and at their very best, is guaranteed to add vibrant flavours and texture to your meals and elevate your home cooking to a whole new level. 

The good news about herbs is that they’re pretty easy to grow; you don’t even need a garden! Most people have a south facing windowsill with room for a few pots, and with the right care and attention, your herbs will flourish. 

The downside is that many tender pot-grown herbs don’t survive the winter. However, they can be harvested in autumn and stored for use throughout the winter season.

The golden rules for herb growers:

1. All herbs can be grown in a reasonably fertile, well-drained, gritty soil. If drainage is  a problem, plant your herbs in pots.
2. Most herbs prefer a neutral to alkaline soil.
3. Planting in a hot, sunny location is particularly important for obtaining good herb flavour.
4. Your herbs will not need much fertiliser. Over feeding can in fact decrease the concentration of flavours.
5. Choose containers which give herbs a deep root run. ‘Long tom’ pots have the required depth and look really good when grouped together. Terracotta pots look great and are porous so less likely to get waterlogged. They do dry out very quickly in summer though, so always keep an eye on them and water regularly.
6. Keep your herbs well trimmed to stop them from bolting.
7. Last but not least, give them the space to breathe and grow out – if you overcrowd your herbs, they will quickly die.

Sow your seeds any time from late January to early May. If you want quicker results plant pre-potted herbs from garden centres.

Just remember: keep them watered, make sure they are able to drain, give each plant enough space to breathe and trim them regularly.