Herbs are super easy to grow and provide flavour to all your favourite dishes. These are some of the best herbs for beginners to try growing at home.
Herbs are super easy to grow, whether outside or on your windowsill, and provide lovely flavours to all your favourite dishes and teas.
These are some of the best and yummiest herbs for beginners to grow.
1. Basil
Basil is one of the most popular herbs, known for its incredible flavour and fragrance. It can be used in a multitude of dishes and drinks. Try making your own home-made pesto to use in pastas and sandwiches or as a dip!
Basil seeds can be planted in potting compost and grown on a sunny windowsill from march onwards. Pinch growth tips and flower buds when they reach 15cm in height to get them to make more leaves.
- Sun – Full sun
- Positioning – West or south Facing
- Exposure – Sheltered
- Moisture – Well drained
- Soil – Sand or loam
2. Rosemary
This wonderfully fragrant herb is great for Mediterranean dishes. Rosemary is evergreen, so you can pick the leaves throughout the year to flavour soups, meat and pasta dishes. It also makes for a delicious tea.
To prevent the plant from becoming too leggy, cut back the stems as the flowers die out.
- Sun – Full sun
- Positioning – Any
- Exposure – Sheltered
- Moisture – Well drained but moist
- Soil – Sand, chalk or loam
3. Mint
Mint is a lovely herb to add to salads and make teas from. It has a very refreshing fragrance and flavour. You can grow mint from seed, however it will always differ from the mother plant so it may be best to buy a clone from a garden shop.
Mint is a prolific spreader and will quickly take over given the chance. Grow it in a pot to contain it and allow your other plants their space. Pinch out the flowering buds to maintain their focus on leaf production.
- Sun – Full or partial sun
- Positioning – Any
- Exposure – Exposed
- Moisture – Average drainage but moist
- Soil – Sand, chalk, loam or clay
4. Sage
Sage is easy to grow and great for cooking, but it doesn’t do well in wet soil so plant it in good sun in well-drained soil. Being an evergreen herb, sage likes to be harvested often to encourage growth. During cold months you can protect it with a horticultural fleece.
- Sun – Full or partial sun
- Positioning – Any
- Exposure – Sheltered
- Moisture – Moist but well drained
- Soil – Loam or clay
5. Oregano
Oregano is an essential flavour in many European dishes that you can eat while you look for the best odds online. They have attractive flowers and are great for ground cover on the borders of your garden.
Sow seeds in spring outdoors or start them indoors in pots and pinch away growth points when they reach 10cm to encourage bushier leaf production.
- Sun – Full or partial sun
- Positioning – Any
- Exposure – Sheltered
- Moisture – Well drained
- Soil – Loam, chalk or sand
6. Coriander
Coriander is a versatile herb for use in nutritious cooking or pestos. They have a long germination period and don’t live for long, so if you want a continuous supply, you’ll have to sow seeds regularly.
Water and harvest coriander frequently to prevent them from getting stressed and producing flowers and seeds.
- Sun – Full or partial sun
- Positioning – South, west or east facing
- Exposure – Exposed
- Moisture – Well drained
- Soil – Loam, chalk or sand
