Why Grow an Herb Garden?
Growing herbs has been a part of life on every continent for thousands of years. Herbs are prized for their scents, medicinal and aromatherapy properties, but are most popular locally for their use in seasoning in cooking. Planting a small sized kitchen herb garden is easy and satisfying. The flavourful, therapeutic, and fragrant plants are beneficial to the family and the garden. Herbs grow perfectly in the beds and borders, pots and even on the windowsill, so there’s absolutely no excuse not to grow at least one type of herb, even if it’s to keep flies away from the kitchen worktops. (Basil is good for this).
Herbs are easy to grow
Herbs can tolerate all types of tough growing conditions. Most of them were originally wild plants that grew in poor soil. Some varieties can be spoilt by the lush conditions of a garden. If they grow too large their flavours and properties become lessened. It's a myth that all herbs like full sun; even good old basil likes partial shade at midday. So when planning your garden, you can divide your plants into two sections. There are those like thyme, sage, rosemary, French tarragon and oregano that like full sun and those that like partial shade, such as rocket, sorrell, lettuce, mustard, parsley and chevril.
Which herbs are best to grow for a beginner?
Coriander, rocket, chives and parsley are easy to grow from seed. Seeds can be sown where you want the plant to grow and don’t need any repotting. You can still grow rocket seeds now – they are ready to eat in a few weeks. Cuttings can be taken of sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram –or you can buy them in your local garden centre. Mint can be divided from a friend, but best keep it in pots as it is rampant. Basil is a lovely herb for cooking with –especially yummy in tomato and Italian dishes. It needs good sun though, and is usually repotted when grown from seed. It is prone to greenfly. All these herbs are useful for a basic culinary herb garden and they grow well in containers.
Growing tips for herbs in containers
Herbs grown in containers can be the perfect solution if you are limited for space.
They are a convenient way to have your herbs handy so you have quick access when preparing a meal.
- When growing herbs in containers, use a soil-based compost, either organic or something like John Innes potting compost. This is because there are very few herbs that grow in peat, and a soil-based compost retains moisture, which is a must to stop containers drying out.
- Water the containers in the morning rather than the evening because this gives the plants a chance if the temperatures are hot during the day, especially for containers grown in full sun.
- Feed container plants weekly from March until September. This keeps the plants healthy, helps them produce tasty leaves, especially on cut and come again salads
- As we are on the coast, a seaweed-based feed is ideal or you could make your own comfrey or nettle juice now. These are not too strong and both will keep the plants healthy.
- Try not to plant invasive herbs such as mint and lemon balm in a container with other herbs. They will swamp the other plants and take over. It’s better to grow them in separate pots instead.
- Harvest herbs by pinching off the tips of the plant for use in the kitchen. This will encourage new plant growth, and help keep the plant more compact.
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Look at the final size of the herbs when planting. In a small bed there won’t be enough space to cultivate herbs such as lovage, lemon balm, fennel or angelica. These large herbs would dominate the other plants and appear out of scale. Many popular choices of growing herbs can be fitted comfortably in a bed sized about 3.5m x 1m. Confine annuals and invasive type herbs such as mint to containers.
Add Herbs to Traditional Vegetable Garden or Flower Borders
Sow dill, borage, and marigold seeds in containers for use when gaps appear in the garden. Add young marjoram, savory, and feverfew plants to the edgings of other low perennials.
Indoor Herb Gardening
- Many herbs can be successfully grown indoors in a container herb garden.
- Choose a sunny windowsill to arrange the containers.
- As with most indoor plants, over-watering can be a bigger problem than under-watering.
- Be sure that your containers have adequate drainage. A few small holes will be more effective than one big one.
- Harvest herbs by pinching off the tips of the plants. This encourages bushy plant growth
Harvesting Herbs
Most plants will benefit from being harvested regularly. This encourages vigorous, new growth & prolongs the supply of fresh material. It also improves the shape of the plant, making it bushy & sturdy.
What to look for when harvesting
- Leaves should be harvested just before the plant flowers.
- Flowers are at their best when they have just opened.
- Fruit should be just ripe.
- Seed is ripe when it changes from green to brown. For seeds in pods, shake the stem. You will hear the seeds rattle when they are ripe.
- Roots are at their best when the top growth of the plant has completely died back, in autumn or winter.
Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of the herb garden and enjoy the soothing, medicinal and flavoursome delights that these plants have to offer all year round with a bit of preparation.
Drying the herbs
Harvest herbs for drying on a dry, sunny morning.
Cut the stems just above ground level on a still day after the dew has evaporated off of the leaves.
Trim and compost any discoloured or damaged leaves.
Tie into small bunches and hang in a dark, dry, airy place, or put them in a paper bag punched with holes. This will keep them clean and help the drying process.
When the plant is completely dry, it will become brittle. Remove the leaves from the stems and store in airtight jars, preferably in a darkish place.
To keep the maximum flavour, store the leaves whole & crush, if necessary, just before using.
Freezing the herbs
Freezing is the best method for preserving the colour, flavour and nutritional content of herbs with soft, lush, green leaves, (eg. chives, dill, basil, mint, tarragon).
- If the herbs have any strange looking things on them, you might want to give them a rinse. Dry afterwards. If you can avoid washing them, all the better as I think it holds the taste better
- Freeze the dried leaves in plastic bags, in bunches, on the stem. There is no need to thaw before using, just add at the end of cooking.
- Alternatively, chop the herbs finely, put them in ice-cube trays and top up with water. Flowers, especially borage, can be frozen in ice-cubes for adding to drinks.
Preserving herbs in Oil or Vinegar
Herbs preserved in oil or vinegar are very useful for adding flavour to many dishes. The leaves discolour slightly but it’s the infused flavours in the oil or vinegar that are important.
Herb Oils
Fill a wide-necked, sterilised jar with the fresh herb, broken into pieces with your fingers. When the jar is full, cover with good quality olive, sunflower, safflower or almond oil -preferably organic. Put on a tight fitting lid. Stand the jar in a warm or sunny place, covering it with brown paper if it's in a sunny position. Shake at least once a day for 14 days. Strain and store out of direct light.
Suitable herbs to use in oil are: basil, garlic, fennel, lavender, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme.
Spices, chillies and orange or lemon peel can be added to help enhance the flavours.
Herb Vinegars
Bruise the herb by rubbing through your fingers and fill a wide-necked jar. Top up with warm (not hot) wine or cider vinegar. Treat the same as you would for the herb oils by shaking and keeping out of bright lights.
Suitable herbs for vinegars include: bay, chervil, dill, elderflower, garlic, fennel, lavender, mint, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. Spices, chillies and citrus rind can also be added.
Fruit vinegars are made by the same method. Roughly chop the fruit in a food processor first.
Suitable fruits to add to vinegar are: blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries.
Herbs for Companion Planting
Most herbs can be perfect companions to other plants in the garden. Here are a few ideas.
For an effective deterrent against greenfly try:
Aphids and greenfly: Lots to choose from here: Catnip, Chives, Coriander, Dried & Crushed Chrysanthemum, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Feverfew (attracts aphids away from Roses), Garlic, Larkspur, Marigold, Mint, Mustard, Nasturtium, Onion, Oregano, Petunia, Sunflower.
Basil – Plant with tomatoes. They also repel flies and mosquitoes.
Borage - Helps strawberries to thrive. Assists tomatoes and squash. Borage attracts bees into the garden too.
Chamomile - Plant with onion and cabbage.
Chives - Plant near carrots and apple trees. Chives steeped in water makes a great spray to kill powdery mildew disease.
Comfrey - This herb is often used in compost and as organic fertilizer made into a compost tea. Enriches soil.
Dill - Plant near cabbage, lettuce, corn, and cucumber. Don't plant near fennel to avoid cross-pollination.
Garlic - Plant near fruit trees and tomatoes. Repels red spider mites. Great insecticide steeped in water .
Horseradish – Keeps pests off of potatoes.
Hyssop - Plant near cabbage and grapes.
Lemon Balm - Great for tomatoes.
Lovage – Good planted near practically everything.
Marjoram - A close second to Lovage.
Mint - Plant near cabbage but never near parsley.
Nasturtium - Loves broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower), fruit trees, and radishes. Great insect repellent.
Oregano - Loves grape vines. Insect repellent for cucumber beetle.
Parsley - Loves tomatoes, carrots, chives, and asparagus but doesn’t like mint.
Rosemary - Loves beans, carrots, cabbage and sage but not potatoes.
Rue - It is effective near strawberries and fig trees but never near basil. Plant it wherever you don't want cats to go.
Sage – good with rosemary, cabbage and carrots but never with cucumbers.
Summer Savory - Likes onions and beans.
Tansy - Likes fruit trees.
Tarragon - Likes almost everything.
Thyme - Keeps worms away from cabbage.
Valerian - Good in compost heaps and good for earthworms.
There is no reason why you can’t grow at least one herb. All you really need is one plant pot, a few seeds and a bit of soil and you are ready. Why not try being self sufficient in just one herb, pick one that you enjoy and would normally buy from the shop. Try parsley, coriander or chives.
Herb Seeds
Introducing the attractive sight and deeply aromatic smell of herb varieties to your garden is a real sensory delight, but that's nothing compare to the taste explosion you experience once these culinary plants hit the kitchen table; just imagine turkey without sage and onion stuffing, lamb but no mint sauce and pasta missing a sprinkling of just-picked basil...But you can banish those unpleasant kitchen thoughts with the help of Harrods selection of 100% organic herb seeds which features all the old favourites such as basil, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley, and a few highly rated but lesser known examples such as borage, savory and chamomile.
We still have one bed that doesn’t seem to be doing much. We planted courgettes and peas but they have grown really badly. We know the problem. The bed is too close to an escallonia hedge, too shaded by a willow tree and too dry because of the two afore mentioned problems. On closer inspection the soil is bone dry and this is after three days of heavy (ish ) downpours. We have decided that it’s not too late to improve and re-plant the bed, so I have added some well rotted compost from the compost bin and teased it into the parched soil, this will help retain the moisture and give it a feed too. I decide to plant some mangetout and spinach and give them a good watering. It is a bit late really for the mange tout but if they don’t grow well enough to crop they are still nitrogen fixers and they can rot down into the soil over the winter. I should get a crop of baby leaves for the spinach too. I also plant some more salad crops, lettuce, spring onions, radishes and rocket. I replant some of the alpine strawberries. They are doing really well. I planted them from seeds last summer and they are re-seeding well this year. It’s not the best time to move them, but they are hardy little plants and will soon adapt to their new home.
