A herb garden? Now’s the thyme
These aromatic delights are perfect for beautifying any plot and their culinary values make them doubly useful
IF you only grow one edible this year, make it a herb. In the main, they are easy to look after, can grow in poor soil and tolerate periods of drought.
They also make sense to your pocket as fresh herbs are expensive to buy in the shops. In addition to their aromatic presence, many have flowers that are pollinator-friendly and of course their culinary qualities make them useful.
Like anything home-grown, there’s a particular joy in using garden produce, whether decorating lamb with sprigs of fresh rosemary, pairing tomato salad with generous bunches of basil or garnishing a Mojito cocktail with a bouquet of mint.
The first thing to know about herbs is that some are tender, some hardy. The hardy ones can be left outside all year – these include bay, mint, rosemary, chives, thyme and sage, though the latter two may sometimes wilt a bit in our endless rainy winters. Tender herbs such as basil and coriander will only grow outside after frost has gone.
The second consideration is that many herbs come from Mediteranean regions, so if planting outside, position in full sunshine and freedraining soil.
That said, some annuals such as basil, parsley and coriander prefer a soil. Another bit of essential knowledge is to keep mint and lemon balm in pots as they will completely take over any patch if allowed to roam free!
Harvesting herbs by snipping off leaves regularly will encourage further growth. The likes of rosemary and bay will need clipping to keep them miniature. And remember to save seed for next year when they flower.
You can start off a little herb garden by purchasing some pot-grown varieties or get sowing seeds now.
Last week, I got started with some parsley, basil, chives and coriander seeds. Just one week later, I can already see signs of germination, except for the parsley which usually takes three to four weeks to germinate.
This is a simple project and all you’ll need are seeds, compost and some pots – recycled yoghurt or coffee cups are perfect. Thinly sow into moist compost, lightly cover with a sieving of compost and cover with clingfilm to prevent them from drying out.
Place in a sunny spot such as a kitchen windowsill to aid germiricher
nation and when they have “hatched”, you can remove the cover.
Alternatively, you can buy pots of basil from the supermarket – these are full of seedlings which you can divide and pot up to grow on.
You can also grow supermarket bought lemongrass – treat the stalks as cuttings and pop them into a glass of water. When they grow roots, they can be potted up and grown on.
Recently, I interviewed a long-time friend, Jekka McVicar – the undisputed
Queen of Herbs who has been awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour for her work in the field
It was great to hear her story, how she got started in the business and how herbs have always been a part of her life.
Growing up, her mum was a great cook and grew all sorts of vegetables and herbs, so as a youngster Jekka could taste the difference between applemint and spearmint. Newly married she started to grow herbs in the back garden and eventually moved to a farm.
Her displays at Chelsea have won many awards, but it’s Jekka’s undimmed enthusiasm which is so inspiring.
After 30 years she is still learning, and was bubbling with delight as she showed me her latest pet herb, Mertensia maritima, whose leaves taste of oyster.
You can dip into her encyclopaedic knowledge any time at her website jekkas.com or, when restrictions allow, arrange a visit to her farm, which is just north of Bristol in south Gloucestershire.
Jekka is very excited about hosting the first-ever Jekka’s HerbFest – a three-day event running from July 2-4, which will be filled with expert talks, informative gardening workshops and cookery demonstrations from Jekka and her team.