Make a cook’s herb store

YOU can easily grow a ready supply of fresh leaves to snip and season hotpots and favourite recipes this summer. Your collection of culinary herbs, such as basil, chives, parsley, oregano, sage and thyme, can be popped in containers by the barbecue or kitchen door.

Planting prep

Make sure the container has lots of drainage holes before you start to plant it.

Use multi-purpose compost with added waterretaining gel and controlled-release fertilisers for easy care. If you are planting several herbs in a single pot, choose varieties that do not grow too quickly. Avoid mint, which can swamp other plants in a matter of weeks.

Thirst pockets

plunge a plant pot filled with gravel in the top of the pot to channel water to where it is needed. CUT the tops and bottoms off drink large plastic fizzy as bottles and use them arm protectors when pruning or weeding around prickly shrubs. Strawberry pots with planting pockets make an attractive feature and are ideal for growing trailing plants such as thyme or oregano. They do, however, dry out quickly and are then difficult to water because the soil shrinks and the water merely runs out the pockets. To make watering easier,

Hot flavours

Keep herb pots in a sunny spot so leaves have maximum flavour and scent. Regular snipping will keep the plants bushy and compact. Routine watering is essential, especially in hot weather and windy conditions. Always water in the evening or early morning, giving the pots a thorough soaking. When leafy herbs die down in autumn, replace them with rosemary and sage for flavouring winter casseroles.