Eleanor Clarke
GARDEN DESIGN
Plant a herb container
As far as we’re concerned there are few things that bring more pleasure than reaching out of the kitchen window – or opening the back door – to gather a handful of fresh homegrown herbs to add to a salad or flavour a casserole. Or muddle into a cocktail (mojito is a classic, but try a basil and strawberry Pimm’s and you’ll be hooked… ). Even if you don’t have much outdoor space, in fact if you don’t have a garden at all, this simple joy is well within your grasp.
If you plant in containers, you can enjoy all kinds of homegrown aromatic loveliness. Just choose the right varieties for your space and aspect, and pick them regularly to keep herbs at a manageable size. Kitchen garden containers can look wonderful too: tuck in tumbling alpine strawberries with their pretty white flowers and sweeter-than-sweet berries; variegated mints and thymes, and red-leaved basil or purple sage to add colour to your collection.
A window box for a shady spot
Many herbs, especially the Mediterranean ones, need heaps of sunshine to thrive, but others are less demanding, preferring a cooler spot to look and taste their best. This combination will work in a window box or pot outside the kitchen door where it only gets direct sun for a few hours a day.
You’ll need:
- 50-60cm window box (terracotta is ideal, but any material will do)
- Polystyrene or broken pieces of pot to help drainage
- Multipurpose compost
- Slow-release plant food
- 1 small (9cm) lemon balm plant
- 3 small (9cm) mint plants (try black peppermint, spearmint or chocolate mint; aim for contrasting leaf/stem colours/shapes)
- 1 small (9cm) sorrel plant
- 1 small (9cm) chive plant
- 1 small (9cm) curly parsley plant
How to plant
- Fill about a quarter to a third of the pot with chunks of polystyrene and/or broken crocks. You can use stones too, or anything that won’t rot down but will help with drainage. Fill the rest with compost, adding slow-release plant food as you go (follow the instructions on the pack for ratios).
2. Plant the herbs, with the lemon balm and mints still in their pots or they can take over, towards the back. The chives and parsley should go closest to the front.
3. Water well, place in a semi-shaded spot and pick regularly.
How to use your herbs
Lemon balm
Use the leaves in teas, cakes, biscuits and cocktails. Its flavour is refreshing and zesty.
Mint
We love it chopped and added to Asian salads, with plenty of chilli and a dressing of soy, lime and brown sugar. It’s also a classic in cocktails such as mojitos and caipirinhas, great with roast lamb and added Greek-style to any kind of courgette dish.
Sorrel
The French love its lemony flavour in soups, sauces and egg dishes. Shred the leaves and add to buttery or creamy sauces for fish, or scatter the young leaves over spring salads.
Chives
The mild, oniony flavour works brilliantly in omelettes, salads and all kinds of potato dishes. Chop it finely and don’t forget the pretty purple flowers are edible too.
Parsley
Chop finely and add to a white sauce for an old-fashioned parsley sauce to go with gammon or white fish; stir it into bulgar wheat/couscous with chopped tomatoes and cucumber for a gorgeous Turkish-inspired salad, whizz into a pesto with aged cheddar and pine nuts. Earthy and mineral-tasting, it’s a British classic.
A Mediterranean pot for sun
This collection of herbs hails from the rocky, sun-drenched slopes of the Med, where they’ve adapted to enjoy sharp drainage, full sun and low rainfall. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden, water well at first then only when the compost is almost dry for them to thrive. The bees will love the flowers on the oregano and thyme plants.
You'll need
- 50-60cm container with plenty of drainage holes
- Polystyrene or broken pieces of pot to help drainage
- Multipurpose compost
- Horticultural grit
- 1 small (9cm) rosemary plant
- 1 small (9cm) tarragon plant
- 1 small (9cm) purple sage plant
- 2 small (9cm) basil plants of different varieties
- 1 small (9cm) thyme plant
- 2 small (9cm) oregano plants of different varieties
How to plant
- Fill about a third of the pot with chunks of polystyrene and/or broken crocks. You can use small stones too, or anything that won’t rot down but will help with drainage. Fill the rest with a 30:70 ratio of grit and compost.
2. Plant the herbs with the rosemary and tarragon in the middle of the pot. The oregano and thyme should go closest to the edge.
3. Water well, place in a sunny spot and pick regularly. Remove any flower buds from the basil and chervil, or the leaves will lose their flavour.
How to use your herbs
Rosemary
The merest whiff of rosemary makes us think immediately of roast lamb and all the trimmings, but this pungent herb is also a good addition to all kinds of robust casseroles, or use it to infuse honey or olive oil. You can repurpose older, tougher stalks as skewers to barbecue kebabs.
Tarragon
Super-under-rated, aniseed-flavoured tarragon is a classic in a creamy sauce with chicken. Or scatter the chopped leaves over a salad of beetroot, tangerine, goat’s cheese and walnuts (it works, trust us).
Purple sage
Another robust herb, typically used in stuffings and partnered with pork. Or fry in butter until crisp, then pour over gnocchi or pasta for an instant sauce
Basil
The Italian classic for pesto, caprese salad and more. But did you know it’s also good in desserts such as grilled peaches with basil and honey? Give it a go!
Thyme
An essential ingredient in Jamaican jerk, all kinds of Mediterranean dishes and a herbal addition to desserts too (lemon thyme sorbet is amazing… )
Oregano
The classic pizza herb works well with tomatoes, lamb and aubergine – think pasta sauces, herb-crusted lamb chops and aubergine parmigiana.
Read more:
OUTDOOR PLANTS
