Growing Herbs

Growing herbs can serve many purposes. They are easy to please, pest and disease free, decorative, aromatic and magnets for butterflies. They are also perfect for making your cooking really tasty. Fresh herbs always make a dish taste better than dried herbs so invest in the real thing and grow yourself a herb garden.

They are actually very easy to grow. Starting from seed is the cheapest option but if you want an instant plant you can find a good selection at garden centers.

Full sun and well drained soil suits most herbs best but a few - parsley, mint, chervil, lovage and sorrel - can be grown in partial shade.

Herbs are not greedy plants and you shouldn't need to enrich the soil before planting. Keep them watered for the first few weeks if weather is dry but thereafter they need very little attention.

Most herbs are hardy and will live for many years.

To harvest herbs gather them on a warm, dry day, preferably before that are in full flower and hang them upside down in small bunches in a warm place. Once they are brittle crumble them up and pop them into jars. You can of course pick some fresh to use as you are cooking.