Growing herbs for cooking

A vital ingredient to accompany roast lamb, new potatoes and peas or to add to a cheeky mojito! There are many different mints that also add a hint of other flavours including apple mint, ginger mint, chocolate mint and Moroccan mint.

Mint can be grown from seed although it is much easier to grow them from small plants as they take really easily. Mint can be extremely invasive so it’s also best to plant them in a large container separately. Many people will all too happily give you a clump from their own garden for you to grow.

Use Miracle-Gro Peat Free Premium Fruit & Vegetable Compost with Organic Plant Food and a suitable size container to ensure enough space for your crop to thrive. Once established, feed your plant every fortnight to ensure a fresh supply of strong new shoots. Mint prefers shadier conditions, and the leaves stay softer away from harsh sunlight. Try not to grow different mints too close together as they can dilute each other’s flavours.

These are fragrant herbs often used in dishes originating in Italy, Spain, and Greece, especially important to flavour authentic Moussaka. This perennial plant (80cm to 100cm) thrives well in a sunny garden border and has pretty flowers that can be humming with bees in the summer. They can be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill for several months but do best outside in a sunny spot.

Sow seeds thinly in a pot of well-drained seed and cutting compost. Keep in a warm place above 20°C and germination should take about three weeks. When the new plants have developed true leaves, transplant seedlings to a herb planter giving them some room to produce a good root system.

Begin picking the top of shoots when they reach 10cm tall. During the summer move the plants to a sunny spot in the garden.

Sweet green basil is a wonderful partner to tomato dishes, spaghetti sauce and pizza. Sweet Genovese is the usual variety although you can also find varieties that offer hints of lemon, lime, and cinnamon, purple foliage, or frilly edges. This tender annual must be grown indoors somewhere warm and bright during autumn and winter and makes a useful addition to any windowsill.

Sow seeds in pots every six weeks to have fresh supplies throughout the winter and sow in late spring/early summer to grow outside. Basil is often grown as a companion plant to tomatoes as it is said it deters pests but also that it helps tomatoes taste sweeter.

This member of the onion family is grown for the grass-like leaves that carry a subtle hint of onion rather than the strong flavour of fresh onion bulbs. Cut up fine, the leaves are used in dishes to provide a mild yet distinctive onion flavour. A favourite for omelettes, cream cheese, sauces and of course to add to sour cream to liven up jacket potatoes. You can also find chives that have a hint of garlic.

Start the seed growing in spring or autumn and keep the pots on a sunny windowsill, watering when the compost dries out. Instead of trimming the tops with scissors take out complete leaves to within 2cm of the compost.

Remove any flower heads that form if you want to have a regular supply of grassy leaves although the pretty purple flowers can be eaten raw, have a slightly sweeter oniony flavour than the leaves and are loved by pollinators.

Grown for its spicy seeds and green leaves, this herb is a must in salads and as a fragrant green addition to Indian and Chinese curries. The seeds are a vital ingredient of curry powder.

Easy and quick to grow, once sown outside it often self-seeds year after year. For indoor pots of this useful herb, sow seeds every 6 weeks in seed and cutting compost. Position in a warm sunny spot and keep watered well. Using all purpose liquid plant food every fortnight will ensure the plants produce tender fresh leaves.

Coriander can be quick to go to seed (bolt) in hot weather so try to plant where it is in partial shade and don’t allow it to dry out.

A hardy perennial bush that produces pungent green leaves that are often used in sausages, as well as bean and tomato dishes. Sage can be grown from seed but as you will only need one or two plants, they are best bought as plants from your local garden centre. For a decorative indoor herb garden, plant the pot in Mediterranean and citrus compost along with similar herb plants such as thyme and tarragon placing near a bright, warm windowsill.

A low growing, pretty little shrub that is available in many varieties including lemon. The leaves can be used in soups and stews, to season meat and as an ingredient in savoury baking.

Thyme can be grown easily from seed, as only one or two plants of each variety may be needed by even the most adventurous of cooks, it is easier to buy ready grown plants and pot them up in a herb planter. This can then be placed on the kitchen windowsill, on a sunny patio or in a sunny, hot border. Water occasionally when the compost has almost dried out.

A medium sized shrub (60cm to 80cm), that produces aromatic needle-like leaves and beautiful blue flowers that bees adore. The leaves are a traditional flavouring for lamb but can be used in many dishes to add a lovely deep flavour. Stems can be used to make aromatic skewers for kebabs or as a basting tool for a more subtle flavour.

Rosemary can be grown from seed, although germination will be slow and erratic. It is better to buy a plant that can go out in the garden in spring/summer. Rosemary will enjoy a sunny spot in a border, or you can plant in a container that can be placed in a sunny but sheltered place on the patio.

Rosemary is fairly long lived but does start to become leggy and straggly after about 5 years so may need replacing. Its easy to take cuttings from rosemary by placing stems in water to grow roots.

Whether curly leaved for decoration or flat leaved for the most flavour, parsley is a must-have herb for every kitchen. A natural for fish sauces, soups and stews these green leaves can also be deep fried until crisp and served with many dishes.

Parsley seeds take a long time to germinate, and many people give up before the plants emerge - sometimes a couple of months after sowing. It’s easier to buy a pot from the supermarket and to split the plant up into four sections, re planting these in their own pot. The extra room for new roots to form and the extra moisture held by the compost will help to make the plants live longer.

Simply pick stems and leaves from the plant frequently to ensure new leaves form at regular intervals.