Decide what herbs you want to grow…see what grows best for you and then experiment and choose the herbs you want to grow.

Beautiful Basil

You can buy pesto from a jar in supermarkets, but nothing is as good as homemade pesto made with fresh basil leaves. But you can grow basil pretty easily if you have a hot sunny corner in your garden and it’s so much cheaper than buying it in the supermarket.

Sow seeds in April and either let them germinate either on your windowsill or in a greenhouse if you have one.

When the seedlings are large enough you can transplant them into pots or into trays and let them grow bigger, but keep the plants in a warm area.

When the plants are around 15 to 18 inches tall they are fully mature and they are ready for picking. I plant one or two plants per pot depending on the size of the pot. As I said basil likes warmth and they need protecting from wind and cold. Frost will kill the plant.

Outstanding Coriander 

If you are like me and love coriander than you may not realise that it’s far easier to grow than you may think.

Coriander seedlings look very similar to parsley but touch its leaves and you will smell the very distinctive and pungent coriander.

I personally grow it in a planter and sow the seeds very thinly in the compost, water regularly as you wait for the seeds to germinate. After that just wait until they are big enough to start cutting it. I sow it from March as mine grows outside, you can sow it in pots inside from January which means you can eat it earlier.

One thing is that coriander bolts very quickly as the weather warms up, and you have to start again with sowing the seeds again, but put them in a shadier spot to stop them from going to seed.

Marvellous Mint

Mint is a beautiful plant and I love making mint tea, but also add it to flavour many of my dishes.

There are many different types of mint, but I would recommend just growing mint in pots as the roots are very invasive and the mint will spread around the garden very quickly.

Mint likes to grow in good soil that is well-drained, and it also loves full sunshine.

Peppermint makes delicious tea, Spearmint can be used for almost anything, and Apple mint which has beautiful downy looking leaves has a lovely delicate flavour so can be used on new potatoes.

Perfect Parsley

Parsley is one of those herbs that goes with everything. I sow the seeds in pots and lots of seedlings come up in the pot. The seeds prefer to germinate with some heat or you can sow the seeds when the weather and the soil is warmer.

You can either transplant the seedlings so the plants get bigger before planting out or let the seedlings grow big enough in the pot and transplant straight into a planter.

Parsley loves well-drained soil and doesn’t mind some shade – but you do need to water it well.

Tremendous Rosemary

Every garden needs a rosemary plant, my mother-in-law used to say that if you could grow a strong rosemary plant the lady of the house ruled it. I don’t know if that is true…!!

Rosemary is a wonderful herb that can be used with lamb and is also delicious when using it I when cooking roast potatoes.

Rosemary is a pretty hardy plant and will withstand most weather, it loves fast-draining poor soil, and it does hate standing in cold, wet soil.

You can grow a rosemary plant in a large pot or container, mix compost with some topsoil or garden soil and mix in some horticultural grit and your rosemary plant will be very happy.

You can sow rosemary in March and transplant them when the plants are big enough to handle, which will take several months.

Rosemary grows well from seed sown in spring, pricked out into individual pots and planted out the following spring.

Or you can take a rosemary cutting and put this cutting in a small pot of compost and wait until it starts growing a root. Once the root has taken hold then you can repot the plant.

Sensational Sage

I love adding sage to my cooking and it works really well with potatoes and pork.

Personally I like the purple variety of sage, one reason is that it’s less vigorous than the other varieties, but it’s also very flavoursome.

Sage likes good drainage and can be grown in pots and containers, it can live for many, many years. You can sow seeds or you can take a cutting and grow a plant from this.

To stop sage from going woody you need to cut it back every spring.

Tremendous Thyme

There are so many different types of thyme and I love growing the plant, adding it to the Italian dishes I cook.

Thyme grows really well in pots. Containers or herb planters. Bees absolutely love the flowers on a thyme plant.

You can sow thyme seeds in the spring and plant them out when they are big enough to handle. But I do like to have different thyme’s so I go to the garden centre and buy different varieties.

Even though thyme is a perennial, you usually have to replace the plants every 3 years or so, mainly because the plant can become very woody. One way to stop woodiness is to cut the plant back after flowering, which should encourage new growth.

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If you’re fed up with drinking tea and coffee then you may want to try drinking herbal teas. Herbal teas are delicious and refreshing. What’s more, they contain no calories…. Are free of sugar… and are a smart way to hydrate your body.

In addition, they contain no caffeine. As you may know caffeine boosts your body’s metabolism. Which can be great in the morning. But at other times of the day you want to feel more relaxed. And certain herbal teas do this.

The thing is, for centuries people have consumed herbal teas. Probably for the many health benefits certain herbs contain. Nowadays herbal teas are part of the mainstream tea drinking scene.

So what are the best herbal teas to consume?

Here’s a list of the most popular herbal teas you can keep in your kitchen cupboard. Or nip into your garden to pick some fresh leaves.

Chrysanthemum tea

Made from different chrysanthemum flowers, chrysanthemum tea is a traditional Chinese flower tea. It tastes light, refreshing, flowery and a bit sweet.

Passionflower tea

You make this tea from the flowers and stems of passionflower.

For centuries people have drunk passionflower to help with sleeping problems.

So it’s probably best consumed during the evenings and not daytime.

Hibiscus tea

The hibiscus plant produces colourful red leaves.  When the leaves are used as a tea they produce a tart tasting tea.

Echinacea tea

Echinacea is said to have virus-killing properties. That’s why many people drink it when they start coming down with a cold.

Ginger tea

Ginger tea can be made from ginger root. Simply cut or shred some ginger into a pot or tea cup and pour boiling water over it. Ginger is great to drink on a cold day as it will warm you up.

Peppermint tea

If you want a refreshing tea to drink in summer then consider growing mint in a container. (Don’t grow it in your garden as it will spread everywhere)

Mint grows profusely. Simply pull some sprigs off the plant and put in your teapot. You can add honey and ginger to it.  It’s also ideal for hot summer days – it’s delicious as a cold tea with ice cubes.

Mint has a reputation for calming stomach upsets. So you may want to try this tea when this occurs.

Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea has a reputation as a calming herb. So it’s widely drunk in the latter part of the day.

Sage tea

You can make your own sage tea by picking leaves from your herb garden. Pour on boiling water. Allow the tea to stand for five minutes. Then strain off the leaves. Enjoy!

Sage is rich in antioxidants. So it helps to offset the stress and demands of modern-day living.

Lemon balm tea

Lemon balm is an easy herb to grow in containers. So grab a handful of leaves and put them into your teapot.

It makes a delicious tasting tea that is thirst-quenching in summer.

Nettle Tea

Nettle tea has many health benefits, if you are brave you can pick fresh ones, you have to find your own preference of how strong you want your nettle tea, or for the not so brave you can buy loose dried nettle leaves or you can buy nettle teabags. But you will get a delicious tasting tea.

Rosehip tea

This is made from the rosehip plant. It makes a popular iced tea.

Here’s how to make rosehip iced tea.

Boil water in a saucepan. Add rosehips to the boiling water….cover… reduce heat, Then simmer gently for about 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Use honey as an alternative sweetener if you prefer.  Leave covered to sleep for 10 minutes.

Strain tea through a fine sieve. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill.

Serve cold in a tall glass with ice.

So there you have it. You now have a list of delicious herbal teas you can enjoy. However, If you’re at all worried about drinking herbal teas then you should consult your doctor.

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For instance, how about slicing up raw tomatoes and laying them on a plat. Sprinkle some pinches of salt and pepper. And adding finely chopped basil. Lovely.

Or tossing chopped basil into your salad leaves? This really enhances the flavours of a salad.

Or making a homemade basil presto? Gorgeous.

Or how about finely sliced and added to pasta? Just like the Italians.

But how do you grow basil so you can continue to harvest it through the growing season?

Basil is a simple herb to grow. However, it doesn’t like frost.

Sow your basil seeds in the spring after there is any risk of frost. Or if you want to jump-start your basil, sow your seeds in early March. And transplant them at the end of May. That is once the soil has warmed up.

As soon as your seedling plants have produced their first six leaves, prune hard. Cut back to just above the first two leaves. That’s because this encourages your plants to produce more branches. So you’ll harvest more leaves.

Next, as soon as your branches have eight leaves cut back to the first set of leaves.

To prevent early flowering, cut off the centre shoot at six weeks. Once a basil plant goes to seed then the leaves can lose their flavour.

To keep your plants productive, ensure you harvest them on a regular basis. Start picking leaves at six weeks…. Even if you don’t need the leaves. You can keep excess leaves in your freezer in an airtight bag.

As you’re harvesting on a regular basis you’ll need to feed your plants often. Use an all-round fertilizer.

Basil likes a lot of sunshine. So make sure you plant it in sunny locations which are sheltered. And protected against cold winds.

Basil likes a moist soil which is free-draining. So avoid heavy soils.

You can plant your basil in your garden… raised beds… containers…or pots.

If you’re growing tomatoes then consider planting your basil alongside these plants. Basil and tomatoes make ideal companion planting crops. Some gardeners claim they complement each other because they repel insects and make the tomatoes taste better. If you want to do this then you’ll need 2 – 3 basil plants per tomato plant.

The most common types of basil are sweet basil… lemon basil… Thai basil and purple basil.

And here’s an additional use for basil…

The aroma of basil can be used as a great insect repellent. It’s a natural, non-toxic and safe. It helps to repel houseflies… aphids….mosquitoes… whiteflies… tomato pests and asparagus beetle…

Basil is a fantastic addition to any vegetable garden. Next time your shopping for vegetable seeds, add some basil seeds to your order. Your palate will thank you

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Well, it’s true.

Just apply cinnamon powder to the stem of the cutting before you plant it. And that’s it. You’ll save money on buying expensive rooting powder.

But this isn’t the only surprising way cinnamon powder can be used in the garden. There are many other amazing uses for cinnamon.

Take for instance ant control. If you have ants coming into your garden or house sprinkle a line of cinnamon powder. This will stop any ant invasion. That’s because ants hate cinnamon.

Also, you can use cinnamon as first aid for plants. Where you have a branch break off from a stem, then sprinkle cinnamon powder over the cut. This enables the plant to heal and recover much faster. It also prevents any fungal attack.

Cinnamon is anti-fungal. So if your plants are attacked by a fungus make a cinnamon spray to kill off the fungus. It’s a safe and natural method instead of any poisonous off-the-shelf product.

You should also sprinkle cinnamon over your seedlings as they start to emerge. This will encourage better germination. That’s because doing this stops any fungal attack when seedlings are at a vulnerable stage.

And how about cinnamon to deter rabbits.

If rabbits are damaging your vegetables then sprinkle a line of cinnamon around them. The cinnamon gets on their paws and then their nose. The cinnamon gets in their nostrils and irritates them. So the rabbits will be deterred from coming back.

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The curly varieties are often the most decorative and the plain leaved variety often has the best flavour.

Even though parsley can be grown as a biennial, it is usually grown as an annual because it tends to run to seed in the second year. Also sometimes the parsley plants can die if the winters are very cold.

Parsley is actually very easy to grow and can be easily grown in containers or in your garden throughout the year.

Growing Parsley – Where to grow

Parsley prefers a sunny position from where it can receive direct light for at least 6 hours a day. Parsley can tolerate some light shade. Parsley will grow better if it’s grown in well enriched and free draining soil. The soil needs to be rich in organic matter, with a pH of around 6.0-7.0.
Parsley germination time is extremely slow. But unless you buy plants from your local nursery or garden centre then seed propagation is the only way to start growing parsley.

It is important to use fresh parsley seed each year because the germination rate rapidly decreases as the seed ages. By using fresh seed every year you have a much better chance of growing parsley.

To help the germination to go a bit quicker it actually helps to soak the parsley seed in warm water for 24hours before sowing.

There are 2 ways to sow parsley. Parsley seeds can be sown indoors in seeds trays it needs warmth to germinate so either place the tray in a propagator or in a greenhouse or coldframe.
It can be sown around 8 – 10 weeks before the last frosts in your area.
Or the seeds can be sown directly in to the soil where you want to grow them, but you need to sow them after the danger of spring frosts have passed.

Sow the seeds and cover lightly with soil, and keep them moist but not wet. As the parsley appears the seedlings will almost look like grass. You can either thin the parsley or transplant the seedlings when they are around 2” high. Parsley grows fairly big so the final spacing should be around 8” apart.

Growing Parsley – Planting Out

Once the parsley plants are large enough to be planted outside – around 3-4” high – you have to prepare the soil.

Make sure you dig the soil well and incorporate as much manure or organic matter such as compost as possible. Also scatter some bonemeal to the top layer of soil.

When parsley is planted out in good soil it becomes a very low maintenance and easy plant to grow.
Looking after the parsley
Once established parsley grows fairly quickly but it does have shallow roots. This means the plants need regular watering and fertilizing.

Give the parsley plants a good watering once a week. Don’t let the plants dry out between waterings. If parsley dries out too often it has a tendency to run to seed. You should also give the parsley plants a light mulch around the base of the plants with some grass clippings which will help retain moisture and keep weeds down to a minimum.
You can fertilize the parsley plants once or twice during the growing season, using a general garden fertilizer. Or you can use a liquid fertilizer – use half the recommended strength on the label every month for parsley grown in containers.
Parsley Pests
Parsley doesn’t usually get any pests or diseases. Occasionally it gets infected with greenfly – you can then spray it with derris.

Growing Parsley in Containers
Parsley is a brilliant plant to grow in any type of container – there are pots that are made specially for growing parsley in. No special care is necessary – just keep the pots in a sunny spot and feed frequently with a liquid plant food, and make sure the pot compost is kept moist – as otherwise the parsley will bolt.

Parsley Uses

Parsley leaves are very attractive. Parsley is used I many dishes either as a garnish or to flavour foods. It’s also a favourite with fish dishes. Home grown parsley tastes even better then shop bought parsley.

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