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Starting your herb garden
From Hamlet's Ophelia to Jamie Oliver's kitchen, herbs have been used for savour and health. Get started on growing your own on any outside space
'There's rosemary for remembrance,' says Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet as she hands her brother a sprig. The same herb graced the pearl coronet of Anne of Cleves when she married Henry XIII. And the ancient Athenians wore wreaths of violets to ward off drunkenness. In Britain, there is even a post of Royal Herb Strewer. In this country herbs have been cultivated for more than two thousand of years and with today's emphasis on natural foods, remedies and beauty products, they're more popular than ever.
Herbs are fairly easy to grow, will sprout in containers on a patio, in window boxes, even in hanging baskets and they are a pretty, fragrant addition to your outside space. Stand herb-filled pots outside the kitchen door or on a windowsill for easy access. They'll smell gorgeous on a summer's day and you'll have a fresh supply of succulent herbs to hand. Here are some top tips to get you going with your herb garden
- How to get started
- Best for container gardening
- Best for a border or a bed
- Best for a roof terrace
- Growing tips
- Drying herbs
- Freezing herbs
How to get started
Herbs can be grown from seeds, plants or cuttings. Any method will produce plants but buying ready-grown herbs will give you a head start, make an instant impact and be useable from day one. But make sure you buy from a reputable garden centre and not from a supermarket. They're sold for instant use and won't last long. Rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon and bay grow well from plants.
Cultivating seeds gives an extra sense of satisfaction as you watch them peeping through the compost, and it's a much more economical method. You'll get plenty of stock from one packet of seeds but growing this way is more labour intensive as you'll have to remember to keep the soil moisture at the right level. During the early spring months seeds should be sown indoors in seed trays or small pots. A greenhouse or windowsill will do. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, they can be thinned and transferred to larger containers. When there's no threat of frost in the early summer (you hope!), seedlings can be moved or seeds sown outside. The packet will give instructions on when and how often to sow. Rocket, coriander, parsley and chives grow particularly well from seed.
You can take your own cuttings from other plants to start your own. They should be taken in the spring before stems become too woody. Snip off a piece about 3 or 4 inches long from the side shoots of a healthy plant. If possible, cut on a joint and remove all but three or four leaves. Planted in good quality compost in a warm, sunny spot, the cutting should grow well.
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