Topic: Herbs best-suited for allotment

[newspud9]

I always wanted a section of the allotment just for herbs.  A couple of years ago, I sowed Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Mint and Italian Oregano - but only the last one took and its turned out to be not so interesting from a taste point of view.   We get barely any sun in the  garden and have no suitable window-sills to grow at home - so i simply want to plant at the allotment and essentially leave alone with minimum attention.  Would be interested to hear suggestions from others.

Thanks for all the responses.

[goodlife]

I've got Rosemary, thyme and oregano on lottie too and they all do well without attention..as well as, chives and parsley (needs to be sown yearly), mint is very hardy, lemon verbena is easy but I do lift it up and take it in for winter protection, vietnamese coriander..again easy to grow but won't survive the winter.
Coriander..easily grown from seed but needs moist soil and little bit of shade as in full sun soon run to seed..but then again, you can use the seeds too as spice and save some for future sowing.

[lottie lou]

If you dry oregano it intensifies the flavour.

[artichoke]

I'm surprised that my mints kept growing through this winter in spite of frosts and snow. I do grow some underneath an apple tree and behind a black compost bin, in East Sussex. Coriander is a tough plant and delicious and self-sowing. Parsley is a problem, of course, some years I have had mountains of it and others nothing. French tarragon is supposed to be delicate, but has come back every year.

Lovage is a thug, and indestructible. Oregano and its variations survive the winter. Rosemary and sage are tough survivors in my experience. Bay bushes can be cut back by frost, but sprout again, and give a delicious sweetness to casseroles.

Chives are indestructible, and I have been surprised by their early reappearance this year. Lemon balm is indestructible as well, but I agree that lemon verbena does not always come back....but usually.

So persevere.....they will grow, once safely established.

[newspud9]

Many thanks for the replies.  Good to know that these herbs are hardier than I had thought.

[claybasket]

Two years ago I took loads of cutting of Tyme and Rosemary  Sage Mint,Apple Mint Oragano lemon Verbena,think you get the picture I lost a few, but now my lotty  has a good group of herbs ,Parsely is a strange animal (herb) it takes 6-8 weeks to start growing ,also yrs ago a old lotty man giving me his wisdom said parsely only grows were the women of the house wears the trousers,anyone else ever hear this little saying ?

[small]

Don't you believe, it, claybasket, I know that saying but in our household I do what I'm told, and I grow super parsley!  Anyway, on my veg patch I grow sage, rosemary,  chives, thyme and mint as perennials, eventually managed to dig out the lemon balm (proper thug) and parsley and coriander as annuals. For years I kept herbs in pots, never really worked, they thrive in the open ground.

[Nigel B]

yrs ago a old lotty man giving me his wisdom said parsley only grows were the women of the house wears the trousers,anyone else ever hear this little saying ?

I hadn't heard that. I'll have to ask the missus if I can plant some. ;-)