Grow A Tastier Garden

Grow A Tastier Garden

With the arrival of spring, now is a great time to venture back outdoors and get gardening once again. Have you ever thought of growing herbs? If your cooking takes a lot of inspiration from Mediterranean, American, or Far Eastern cuisine, you are in for a treat as you can home-grow several herbs which are simple to raise from seed and if you start sowing now you should be able to have a supply for months.

Fresh, vibrant and tasty herbs can be added to an array of salads, stews and stir-fries to give your dishes extra bite with minimal effort. As easy as herbs add flavour, you can grow them, no matter the size of your green space, all you need is a sunny window sill, or a well-drained, sun-blessed spot in your garden.

If you plan to grow in a garden patch and the soil is heavy with clay, look to add some grit and organic material such as manure, compost or green waste to improve drainage – in a garden patch, consider using a raised planter.

If you use a pot for planting, begin with a good-quality, multi-purpose compost, your chosen herb seeds and some pots. Good drainage is important for herb growth as is planting each herb plant in its own pot, remember, smaller herb plants do not need a deep root run, so avoid planting in a tall pot.

When it comes to providing drainage, place a broken flower pot or other drainage material in the pot base before filling with the compost to 1cm from the rim of the pot and press down – with larger herb seeds such as coriander plants, place the seeds evenly on the surface – before watering thoroughly.

The seeds typically germinate quickly and often within a week or so, once the herbs are up and growing strongly you can begin your harvest. To harvest, use a pair of scissors or a knife to cut off what you need in order to minimise the damage to the plant, and help to keep them producing more leaves.

For longevity, herbs need to be adequately watered, ideally you should water from the base to allow the plant to draw moisture up. Well hydrated herb plants can last for several months but make sure that the compost is not too wet or else your herb plant runs the risk of drowning in a deluge of regular watering.

Growing herbs is a relatively low-maintenance garden activity, all that is required is watering,  trimming, and general up-keep including the removal of any debris. Generally, it is not a necessity to mulch your herb plants, although mint does prefers moist growing conditions and benefits from mulching.

Herbs To Have A Go With

Among the popular and easy-to-grow from seed:

Ainse

Basil

Chives

Coriander

Flat-leaved parsley