GROWING HERBS
Growing fresh herbs is as easy as gardening gets, and they can be the difference between dishes being merely okay and amazing. Catherine Mansley (@catherinemansley), Features editor at BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, explains what you need
“Fresh herbs transform a dish. And they’re perfect for growing in a pot on a bright windowsill or by the back door, where they’re within easy reach of the kitchen”
1FRESH SEEDS
You’ll get the best results if you sow seeds the year you buy them. Check the back of the packet for a ‘sow by’ date and stick to it. Leafy herbs such as basil, coriander and chives are easy to grow from seed. You can grow parsley from seed, but it’s slow to sprout. From £1, wilko.com or £2 at jekkasherbfarm.com. Long-lived herbs like rosemary, mint and thyme are best grown from plants. From £2.50, pepperpotherbplants.co.uk
2PEAT-FREE COMPOST
Rather than using soil from your garden, buy a bag of fresh compost, which will have been sterilised to kill any weed seeds and bacteria. Unless composts are labelled ‘peat-free’, they contain peat, and harvesting peat is bad for the environment. Sylvagrow Sustainable Growing Medium is peat-free, reliable and perfect for herbs and sowing seeds. For large pots of rosemary and bay, try Sylvagrow All Purpose Growing Medium With Added John Innes. From £3.59, greatlittlegarden.co.uk
3A PROPER POT
You can buy a pot or upcycle a container, but make sure it has drainage holes in the bottom, otherwise the compost will become waterlogged and the plant’s roots will rot. For sowing seeds, use a pot about 10cm wide. For plants, choose a pot 3-4cm wider than the pot your herb came in, and fill around the edges with compost. Indoors, stand your holey pot on a saucer or put it into another pot with no holes, to stop floods. From £1.50, homebase.co.uk
4ORGANIC PLANT FOOD
Potted plants produce more leaves if they’re well fed. But when you’re growing to eat, you don’t want to feed plants full of chemicals. Maxicrop Natural Fertiliser is organic and includes seaweed extract, which will boost plant health. Don’t feed seeds or seedlings – wait until you have decent sized plants. And follow the instructions on the bottle – don’t be tempted to overfeed. £10, wyevalegardencentres.co.uk
5GOOD SCISSORS
Don’t pick off just the leaves, leaving a bare stem. For basil, mint and rosemary, cut the top section of stem, snipping just above a pair of leaves, then remove the leaves from your cut stem. Removing the tops of stems encourages the plant to grow nice and bushy. For chives, parsley and coriander, cut the whole stem just above the compost. Use a sharp pair of scissors. Oxo Good Grips kitchen and herb scissors, £15.99, lakeland.co.uk