You are here: Home > Lifestyle magazine > Garden > Growing herbs

We have local offices across the UK. Use this search facility to find your nearest.

> Affinity groups

Growing herbs

Gardening can be a highly rewarding pastime, never more so than when you pick a handful of home-grown basil to add the perfect finishing touch to your evening meal.

Rewarding doesn’t have to mean difficult though – growing your own herbs is in fact very simple.

Herbs can be grown almost anywhere in your garden, sharing a border with ornamental plants or in a bed of their own. Planting some herbs in pots on your patio or decking area is another option and serves as an attractive decoration for your outdoor space.

Herbs thrive in warm, sunny areas, so try to find the ‘hot spots’ in your garden. Many common herbs are native to Mediterranean countries, and they will flourish in familiar conditions, where the heat of the sun helps to bring out the greatest possible flavour and scent.

Grow your herbs in a neutral soil or soil-based compost, and water frequently during summer and spring (less watering is required in colder seasons). Peat should be avoided as it makes the soil too acidic. The Herb Society, a UK based organisation, also recommend feeding your herbs with an organic liquid feed.

The Herb Society offers a number of useful tips for herb growers, and aims to increase the use and appreciation of herbs as well as promote their health benefits. Members receive free copies of the ‘Herbs' journal, as well as free information leaflets helping you to make the most of your herbs before and after they’ve been picked.

Treated well, herbs will grow quickly – some too quickly - and at times you may need to keep them under control. Mint, in particular, is best suited to a pot or hanging basket of its own, due to its tendency to sprawl and invade the space of other plants.

When the herbs are ready for picking, you could harvest them and store them in your freezer. Not only does this ensure you’ll always have ingredients ready to hand when you’re cooking, it will also allow the next crop to emerge.

Key tips for growing your own herbs:

	Buy your plants from recognised herb growers (British Herb Trade Association) to make sure they are labelled correctly.
	Plant your herbs in a warm and sunny area, keeping them well watered (indoor plants will require more watering).
	Keep some of your herbs near the kitchen door – they’ll bring a nice aroma into the house on warm days and can be easily picked when you’re cooking.
	Plant mint and other sprawling herbs in pots of their own, or in buckets sunken into the ground. This will prevent the roots spreading.
	For more advice visit www.herbsociety.co.uk