Starting your herb garden

Growing tips
Opinion varies on whether herbs should be fed or not. Many agree that the best flavoured leaves are left alone. But planting in good quality multi-purpose compost, the built-in food will keep your herbs happy for about six weeks. Then an occasional feed could enhance your plants during the growing season, April to June. A less robust herb like basil can benefit from extra nourishment. Experiment and see. Feeding is easy: put slow-release fertiliser granules in the soil or mix a liquid feed in the watering can every so often. Containers dry out more quickly than borders, so be sure to water regularly.

Different herbs will generally grow happily together, whether in containers, boxes, borders or baskets. The general rule is to group herbs from the same family eg. the Mediterranean herbs, rosemary, thyme, marjoram and sage. Some herbs, however, can be very invasive and are best kept on their own. Confine mint to its own pot or sink a large container into your herb garden to stop the roots spreading. Lemon balm and borage tend to spread too, so keep a keen eye out to stop them taking over.

To keep your plants healthy and growing in a pleasant shape, pick the leaves from healthy plants on a regular basis. This also encourages new growth. The best time is the early morning.

You can dry or freeze herbs when they?ve been harvested and keep them for use during the winter months, but they must be done so quickly to preserve the rich flavours.

Drying herbs
Dry herbs in a warm place away from direct sunlight - the airing cupboard, porch or garden shed. Five or six days should do it. But the easiest and fastest way is to lay them on kitchen paper and cook in the microwave on a low setting for three minutes. When dry, the leaves can be taken off, flaked and stored in air-tight containers. They should last for twelve to eighteen months. Most herbs will dry but thyme and lemon verbena are particularly good as they really keep their flavour.

Freezing herbs
To freeze them, wrap small quantities in parcels of cling-film, freezer-bags or ice-cube trays topped up with water. They tend to look rather sad when de-frosting but are absolutely fine for cooking. Frozen herbs will last between two and three months. Basil, chervil, chives, dill, marjoram, parsley, sorrel and tarragon are all suitable for freezing.