Grow these delicious, fragrant leaves throughout the year with this essential guide
HOW TO GROW...
Owning your own herb garden is the perfect way to add variety to your cooking, and the flavours of your own produce are sure to enhance any dish. While there are plenty of options for growing herbs outside, growing them indoors is the perfect solution for gardeners who are short of space. These leafy crops are incredibly versatile, and are likely to flourish as long as they’re placed in a sunny spot and have access to water and nutrients. Growing inside also allows for multiple harvesting times, which is often not possible from outdoor plants, and leaves are easily accessible for last-minute pickings to throw into dishes. Herbs that are kept inside will need very little care, but be sure to keep an eye on soil moisture as it’ll dry out quickly.
Placing these edibles on a windowsill will provide the leaves with intensified sunlight to help them develop, but check foliage regularly for sun scorch, even, during the colder months. Temperatures can also fluctuate, so watch out for any signs that your plants are struggling.
Getting started
There’s a wide range of herbs that are suitable for indoor-growing, including basil, coriander, parsley, chives, marjoram, dill and mint. These fall into three categories – annuals, biennials and perennials. For example, basil is an annual, and multiple sowings will provide a frequent supply of the freshest leaves. However, crops such as mint and chives are perennial and if cared for correctly, will be a reliable source of harvests for many years. These low-maintenance edibles need a similar standard of care and can be sown indoors all year round apart from mint and marjoram, which should be started between March and May for successful yields.
How to sow
1. Fill a shallow tray or modules with seed compost and water well. Sprinkle the seed thinly along the surface and cover with a minimal layer of vermiculite or more soil.
2. Cover with a polythene bag to increase humidity, and keep in warm conditions of 18-20°C, such as an airing cupboard. Make sure the growing medium stays moist by watering every other day.
3. Germination should occur within three weeks. Once this happens, remove the plastic covering and move your young plants to a sunny spot, such as a kitchen windowsill.
4. When the seedlings reach around 5cm tall, it’s time to transplant them into individual 7cm pots. Water well afterwards to help your crops settle in.
5. As your herbs develop, keep an eye on the drainage holes – once you see roots poking through the bottom they’re ready to be placed into
