How often have you ended up throwing away half the bunch of fresh herbs you bought from the supermarket because you just hadn’t got around to using them? Do you buy the small packets of dried or fresh herbs and want to find a way of reducing the amount of packaging which gets thrown away in your rubbish bin?
Why not try growing your own herbs?
Home herb gardens not only save you money and reduce waste, they are also fragrant and add flavour to your food.
Growing your own herbs is easy, satisfying, and saves money on fresh herb plants sold at supermarkets – not to mention the packaging that goes with them. With fresh home grown herbs, you can pick what you need. A well-managed herb garden will provide a year-round supply of fresh herbs plus some to pick in summer and dry for winter.
Because they don’t need much space, potted herbs can be grown in small areas like balconies, porches, on wide steps or window ledges – provided the area gets plenty of sun (herbs need around six hours a day of direct sunlight). This makes them an ideal natural antidote to the man-made environment of inner-city apartments.
Herbs grow best in glazed or plastic pots that don’t dry out as quickly as, say, boxes or terracotta (red clay) pots. Different herbs need different growing conditions and vary in their water needs. It’s a good idea to have your herb garden near the kitchen, where the plants are more likely to be used.
Good drainage is important: herbs don’t do well if their roots are constantly wet. If using a non-porous pot, place a couple of pieces of broken brick or similar over the holes in the bottom to help drainage.
Partly fill the container with potting mix, dig a small hole for the root, place the plant inside and gently pack more potting mix around it. Water the plant and keep it in shade until new leaves start to sprout.
Herbs don’t need rich soil – the most important things are plenty of sunlight and good drainage. Mulch around herbs helps stop them drying out. They should be watered no more than once a week in winter and twice a week in summer and when windy. Don’t let parsley, dill or coriander get too dry or they will go to seed. You can use coriander and dill seeds in your cooking, however.
Liquid plant food can be applied once a month in summer, less often in winter. Different varieties of herbs can be grouped together reasonably tightly in pots, especially if the leaves are being picked frequently. A rosemary plant or bay tree can make a good centrepiece to a large herb pot.
This is really down to personal taste - there’s a huge range of herbs out there, with more varieties becoming available all the time.
Herbs are either annual or perennial. Annuals need to be replanted each year – they include parsley, dill, coriander and basil. Perennials grow year-round from woody stems (such as rosemary and sage), or strong roots, (e.g. chives and mint).
Herbs such as basil, marjoram, lavender, rosemary, bay trees, oregano, sage, parsley and thyme prefer good sunlight and not too much water. Only a few will cope with shadier, damper areas, such as chervil, coriander, chives, mint and parsley.
