Growing Herbs For Culinary Use

If you are a keen cook, then you will no doubt be familiar with many common culinary herbs. You will know just how much difference using fresh herbs in your cooking can make. But buying fresh herbs can be expensive. So it is far better to grow your own. Many of you may be sowing or planting herbs at this time of year. So today I thought it might be a good idea to talk briefly about some of the different herbs you might grow for use in your kitchen, and where you might place the herbs you grow.

First of all, you will need to decide which herbs you wish to grow. There are of course plenty of different herbs to consider. Some of my favourite annual/biennial herbs are:

• basil
• chervil
• coriander
• dill
• parsley

And amongst the many perennial herbs, I grow and particularly enjoy cooking with:

• bay
• chives
• mints
• oregano/ marjoram
• rosemary
• sage
• thymes

Once you have decided which herbs to grow, you will of course have to decide where and how to grow them. All of the herbs mentioned above can (with the right care and in the right location) be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill or another light, bright spot inside your home.

If you have a garden, however, growing herbs can be easier (and sometimes less time consuming) than growing them in containers. Of course, where you live and the conditions to be found there will determine which herbs you can grow outdoors. But no matter where you live, there will be a range of culinary herbs that you can successfully grow.

One important thing to think about is whether you would like to create a dedicated herb garden, or will integrate your herbs into diverse planting schemes. Herbs can be excellent companion plants in a vegetable garden, for example. And many can also be fantastic inclusions in fruit tree guilds/ forest gardens. Remember, find the right place for herbs and they can be as beneficial for wildlife and other plants as they are for you.

If you would like some help to work out where to place herbs in your own garden, I can help you with a holistic permaculture design. Please get in touch so we can discuss your requirements and desires.