Growing your own herbs is easy and requires little space. You can grow herbs on your kitchen windowsill, in a greenhouse, or create a herb patch in your garden. They will thrive with plenty of sunshine and a good amount of water. Having fresh herbs to hand, will add vibrant flavours to your favourite dishes.
Basil:
Basil thrives in warm, sunny conditions, so it is best to grow it on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse. Like most herbs, it is low maintenance but requires regular watering. It can be grown all year round, but grows best in the summer months. Remove any flowers to maintain leaf quality. The flowers can be eaten and have a milder flavour than the leaves. Pick the leaves when required. Basil leaves have a very strong aroma and flavour. They are a great addition to pastas, pizza, salads or even made into pesto.
Bay Tree:
Grow this Mediterranean evergreen tree in a warm, sheltered spot. It will thrive in both full-sun or part-shade. A bay tree is low maintenance, apart from requiring watering in dry periods. As it is an evergreen plant, it can be harvested all year round. You can use the leaves to flavour a wide range of dishes, including stews and soups.
Chives:
Chives are simple to grow and require little maintenance. As a perennial, chives grow back every spring and so they thrive outside in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. Chives can be harvested from spring through to autumn. Depending on the variety, the leaves may have a mild-onion flavour or a mild-garlic flavour. The chive plant is noticeably for its pompom flower heads, which are also edible and can be used in a similar way to the leaves. Chives make a great addition to salads, potato salads, or pasta dishes.
Coriander:
Coriander is often added to Mexican and Indian cuisine. This compact plant grows well both on a windowsill or outside. You need to keep the soil moist and position it in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. By sowing small batches every three to four weeks, you will ensure a constant harvest from mid-summer onwards. Coriander leaves, stems, flowers and seeds are all edible. Remove the flowers unless you want to harvest the seeds.
Oregano:
This sun-loving Mediterranean herb is drought tolerant and thrives in a warm, sunny spot. It requires very little maintenance, and as a perennial it will die back in winter and then regrow in spring. The small aromatic leaves are perfect to add to Italian, Greek or Mediterranean dishes. Oregano leaves can be used fresh or dried (stronger flavour).
Parsley:
Parsley is rich in nutrients and it adds great depth and flavour to dishes. Use parsley leaves fresh and add to salads, sauces and butters. Whether you grow curly or flat-leafed parsley, it is best to grow it in a sunny or partially shaded spot. Apart from watering regularly, it requires little maintenance. By picking parsley regularly, you encourage the plant to produce more leaves. Although parsley is biennial, it is treated as an annual, and so it is best to sow new seed each year.
Rocket:
Rocket has peppery leaves which are a great addition to salads or pizzas. The flowers are also edible and have a peppery kick. Sow salad rocket in small batches regularly. When harvesting, take a few leaves from each plant along the row. If you take lots of leaves from just one plant, it will be slow to recover. During hot, dry weather rocket is more likely to bolt (start to flower). To prevent this, pinch the flower stems out. Once rocket flowers, its leafy harvest is over and plants should be removed.
Rosemary:
Rosemary is an evergreen shrub and so you can harvest it year round. Just snip off leaves when they are required, and add them to stews, bread, pasta, fish or meat. Position rosemary in a warm, sunny location and once it’s established, it will become drought tolerant. Rosemary requires low maintenance, apart from pruning it annually to keep it compact and bushy.
Sage:
Sage is a hardy, evergreen plant that you should grow in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot. Harvest the leaves any time throughout the year and use them in soups, stuffing, pasta sauces, sausages and marinades. By pruning established sage plants in spring, you will promote fresh new leaves to grow.
Thyme:
Thyme is a drought tolerant, evergreen shrub. There is little maintenance and it grows well in a warm, sunny spot. You can harvest the leaves throughout the year and use them fresh or dried. Thyme is a great herb to add to stews, roast meats, vegetables, bread, pasta sauces and salads.
