HERBS

( Culinary herbs for use in the kitchen )

Culinary herbs which we use for flavouring food are easily grown in containers, various herbs such as mint, rosemary, thyme etc have been grown in a variety of pots and tubs on cottage window sills for generations, the popularity of herbs faded at the end of the 1940s but has seen a resurgence of gardeners growing herbs following the changing tastes of communities for more flavoured and spicy foods.  the choice of herbs on offer these days at garden centres is so large it is impossible to generalise about growth habits and the type of containers to use  they range from the bay laurel which is a small tree requiring a large pot or tub down to ground cover varieties such as Thyme, planting a selection of varieties in one container can be practical but not always a good idea because some herbs are invasive and will soon swamp slower growing types. I prefer to grow mine in a herb wheel or herb pot, the majority of herbs can be grown from seed but it is more practical to buy small pot grown plants from the garden centre.Site the container close to the house and snip off the amount you need at the proper stage of growth.Only pick the amount you want for immediate use between Spring and Autumn when the plants are growing most actively.  It is also very useful to pick some for drying, so you can use them when they are out of season.

Click here to  just a small selection of the most popular varieties.