Topic: Herbs

[cambourne7]

Hi All,

Just looking at seeds and want to get my herbs started anything i need to add to the following?

Angelica
Anise Hyssop
Basil - Dark Opal
Basil - Genouses
Basil - Sweet Green
Basil Lime
Borage
Celery - Utah
Chamomile Lawn
Chicory - Orchidea Rossa
Chicory - Vanegate di castel Franca
Chives
Common Chervil
Coriander
Corriander - Mixed leaf - saved
Dill
Fennel - Victoria F1 Hybrid
Fennel - Bronze
Garlic Chives
Lavender
Marjoram
Oregano
Parsley - Big Mountain
Parsley - Darki
Parsley - Hamburg ( for roasting the roots)
Parsley - Plain Leaved
Peppermint
Rosemary
Rosemary
Russian Tarragon
Sage
Sage - Broad Leawool
Summer Savory
Thyme - English

Not adding comfry at this point.

Cam

[galina]

First thought was - How many? 

But they are not all herbs.  You have chicory lettuce there, bulb fennel, root parsley and celery, which I would call vegetables.

And for the rest of the list your guide must be 'what do I use in the kitchen?'  As sage will grow into quite a bush, maybe you don't need two?  You listed rosemary twice, no need for two plants although they can be in the front garden and make nice bushes. 

Unless you have a lot of space and the difference in flavour matters, do you need 4 basil and 4 parsley varieties?  Perhaps yes, if you will use them.   

I have salad burnet in the garden, mainly because it looks after itself and the young leaves are nice to eat in spring.  You have chives and garlic chives, but no spring onions or welsh onions, which for our cooking are a must-have.   

[Digeroo]

You are missing my favourite - bay.  Also good for front garden, looks after itself, and also gets large.  Though I started mine from a cutting.

Looks like you are going to have some very tasty cooking going on.

There are several types of thyme with slightly different flavours.

[brownthumb2]

  I too love my herbs.. wow   what a impressive list ..  I am in the process of changing my herb bed and inter  planting with flowers.. I have huge circle one which had eight separate beds but over the years its rotted away  so we replaced the out side  timber and left the middle sections out.  still in the process on deciding what to grow I have plain chives growing as well as the garlic  chives plus the  wild garlic  in a separate corner  my love is different flavoured mints .......

[InfraDig]

Sweet Cicely? (though must admit I've had no luck with it so far!!)

[Silverleaf]

I'd get French tarragon rather than Russian. You can't grow it from seed so you'd need to either buy a plant or start one from a cutting, but the flavour is vastly superior.

[cambourne7]

Thanks all will take what you have said and carry on :)

French Tarragon now on shopping list :) I have accidently missed Bay off the list and i have a plant on order which will go into a planter which i can pop into the greenhouse over winter :) (lost last one in a winter here)

We do use a lot of herbs in our cooking and the garden work meant i have lost my sage, chives, oregano, mint  and rosemary bush as well as my thyme (horseradish is fine) and am looking at adding 3 planters just for the herbs that will last year in year out. Were going to use this to screen the garden and the veg area and by way of a safety barrier so i dont end up in the pond. Due to where the electrics are we cant use posts so were thinking of using some large planters and adding some trellis behind them to make a barrier. Just looking for something suitable at the moment but might end up having to have something made.

[Silverleaf]

I love herbs too. They make everything taste so nice. :)

The problem is my two little rabbits love herbs even more than I do, so I think I'm going to have to make another bed to grow things for them!

[GREGME]

I would add lemon thyme and more types of mint.
good luck they are not all easy except for bay and rosemary.
Try to get the greek oregano not the golden one which grows well but is very mild.

[cambourne7]

I would add lemon thyme and more types of mint.
good luck they are not all easy except for bay and rosemary.
Try to get the greek oregano not the golden one which grows well but is very mild.

Hi

I think i have greek oregano and lemon thyme are they worth the effort?

cam

[Paulines7]

I use lemon thyme more than any other herb.  I am always buying them as they often die on me but I wouldn't be without them. I use lemon thyme mainly for chicken recipes.

That's a long list you have there, Cam.  Good luck with the fennel.  I have never been able to get the seeds to germinate.

[Silverleaf]

Lemon thyme is lovely. :)

[Digeroo]

lost last one in a winter here

I lost a bay a few years ago, do you remember the -16 brrrrrrr.  I was a bit gutted because I had grown it from a cutting from my mother. 
But was very pleased when it came back from the root and was soon almost as big as before.

Good luck with the fennel.  I have never been able to get the seeds to germinate

  It grows like a weed on our allotments, so would suggest trying a surface sowing of the seeds.  Or maybe scattering the seeds in the autumn.

[plotstoeat]

Purple sage is an attractive plant

[cambourne7]

Purple sage is an attractive plant

I can imagine but does it taste the same?

[plotstoeat]

Purple sage is an attractive plant

I can imagine but does it taste the same?

As far as I can remember it tastes similar to other sage. We have three types and tend to pick from one of the green ones. There are some new leaves on so I will refresh my memory. Did you list ginger mint? That has a lovely taste and goes well in pasta dishes.

[cambourne7]

Ginger Mint is that one i can grow from seed?

[galina]

Ginger Mint is that one i can grow from seed?

I can only see plants for sale, not seeds. 

[Jayb]

I've some Bay tree seeds on the tree if you would like some, though they are very slow to grow?

[Deb P]

I admire your ambition with your extensive herb list, do you plan to grow them all in the same place?

For example I grow bay, basil , rosemary in pots. They do much better with winter protection, basil is one of the tender heat lovers so I only put it outside only when it's really warm midsummer. If you want to be decorative as well, having some height is  important to avoid your garden looking like a flat tray....the herb garden up the road from me at Hardwick Hall is a good source of inspiration. They use standard rosemary and lavender to add height, plus wigwams of golden hops up to 8' tall.
Sweet nicely makes quite a large plant, aromatic foliage but I didn't find the taste as nice as the smell!