Home grown herbs

[Wokman Profile Website]

I like to use home grown herbs in my cooking and I just use supermarket bought herbs to plant in the garden.

At the moment I have a two rosemary bushes (planted 2 years ago), one huge sage plant that is starting to flower (also 2 years old), parsley that has come back again this year together with the chives, and a recently bought thyme plant that has doubled in size since I planted it last month.

The strawberries already have flowers on them and they were planted 2 years ago and just spread all the time.

I only have a small patch of earth to plant things and a lot of it is growing amongst the rockery I made.

Have you ever tried planting cheap supermarket herbs and got good results?

[tizmelouise Profile]

I've tried loads and the only thing I've managed to grow is rosemary. everything dies on me even my bay tree has just given up the fight!

[Mrs Vee Profile]

I've tried loads and the only thing I've managed to grow is rosemary. everything dies on me even my bay tree has just given up the fight!

Tizmelouise - don't give up on it! My bay tree suffered badly in a heavy frost after Christmas – I cut off all the dead bits and although it looks a bit sorry for itself it’s sprouting quite well.

Wokman - I love having my own stock of herbs outside the kitchen door. I have a rosemary bush that I’ve had for about five years; it grows like a triffid and has to be periodically hacked back. Sage, parsley, chives and thyme were all bought as supermarket plants last summer – I planted them out, they survived the winter and all seem to be flourishing. I grew some oregano from seed last summer, it's now threatening to break out of its very large pot as is the mint.

Sadly, I’ve never had any luck at all in trying to grow supermarket basil or coriander; the basil just dies on me within a week and the coriander immediately runs to seed. I now grow both of them from seed, planting little and often so that I get a continuous crop.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Lots and lots!!

I have in pots/beds in my tiny garden, two sorts of parsley, chives, rosemary, about 5 sorts of thyme and similar for sage, not to mention three sorts of basil

Oregano, marjoram, tarragon, dill, chervil and coriander. In the vegetable garden i have sorrel, horseradish more tarragon and fennel.

I love my herbs and would hate not to have them to hand.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I had 4 goes at growing thyme (which is in fact not keen on pots) and finally it was a Sainsbury one sold in the veg section that decided to be indestructible


I also have Lorna Doone (a very delicate thyme)

I have quite a lot of herbs, named varieties from Jekka's herb farm mainly, if you are growing them on a roof terrace in pots, it is nice to be able to choose the varieties that will grow to a known size (especially with rosemary, Severn Seas, Lady Severn or Boule are nice & compact) and look pretty (I have lavender sage, small & cute)

[hungryhousewife Profile]

I did grow some supermarket parsley with success - I divided it up into about 8 little plants and had a lovely row of flat leaf - without having to do the 'rush down the garden with a hot kettle' trick!

Other herbs I grow - loads of rosemary, bay, garlic chives, normal chives, golden marjoram, oregano, several thymes including a really delicious one with a large leaf (can't remember its name, but it is great), corriander - have found it grows best on the north side of the house, so it doesn't go to seed - caraway, sweet cicelly (?), lovage, sorrel, lemon balm - everywhere, horseradish (in a bucket in the veg patch!), French tarragon, normal and Thai basil (in greenhouse) and dill.

But, for some reason, try as I may, sage doesn't seem to grow here. I have tried several times, and in spite of rosemary, lavender and santolina doing well, I can't keep sage alive - I've tried several varieties, different sites - just can't get it going! Any hints would be gratefully appreciated!

HH

[ordinarygull Profile Website]

I can do sage, it's all over the place. I can't do thyme, I have to replace it every year, and I've tried loads of varieties.
I also must be the only person that can't grow horseradish - mine hasn't spread, it was planted last year, and that was the last I saw of it!!!!

[Alison Wright Profile]

For anyone thinking of buying supermarket herbs rather than from a garden centre - Aldi have a six pack for only £2:99 - on offer from yesterday - but don't plant them out this weekend - heavy frosts are forecast!

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/sp ... 4-30-14-21

[Caz Profile]

I have a raised bed outside the kitchen for herbs...was planted up 5 years ago. It's only about 4ft by 4ft. The rosemary and oregano grow like billy-o and I have to hack them back. The thyme was fine until this year and has just died off, so I have dug up to replace. I do normally buy from garden centres but it's funny that this thread has cropped up as I have been thinking of buying from a supermarket and planting out.

We never had success with garlic, despite buying (rather expensive!) bulbs from suppliers... then 2 things changed. We brought home bulbs from the local market in Spain and planted in late October... success! Now we have tons every year and we just bring it back from the Med. (not a 'herb' as such I know).

I have never had success with basil from seed, but was watching Alan Tichmarsh a while back and I think Christine ??? was saying to buy a pot of basil from the supermarket and divide into 4 to replant. She was saying that they sew the seeds so closely that they will not survive long in the pot... hence you go and buy more! Her point was if you want to grow supermarket herbs, divide them and give them the room.

I am very tempted to replace herbs I need from the supermarket and see what happens. It's certainly cheaper!

Caz xxx

[Joanbunting Profile]

We went to the market today to buy tomato, courgette and aubergine plants for the vegetable garden. The lovely M Appy (what a great name for a plant specialist) let me choose two herb plants for free. I picked sariette (summer savoury) and borage (thinking Pimms for the Jubilee party).

Forgot to mention that the bay tree in the veg plot was seriously frosted, M cut it right back and it seems to be OK. Our friend who lives up the valley lost his two bay trees and most of his olives.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

That sounds lovely Joan - lucky you! Borage attracts blackfly, and I gather one should therefore plant it next to broad beans, to stop them eating the BB flowers - not much fun in the G&T though

What do you use your savoury in?

Hh

[kari49 Profile]

i have outside sage, rosemary,chives and parsley all from supermarket pots , inside i have basil and coriander, has anyone else grown borage? i was looking at pots of this when i was at the garden centre the other day interested to know karen

[kari49 Profile]

sorry should read other posts properly! karen

[cooksalot Profile]

I have four kinds of mint in an old Belfast sink in my garden - in a shady damp corner. I also grow sage, thyme, rosemary, chives and winter savory in pots outdoors. I generally have a pot of supermarket basil on my kitchen windowsill - currently 50p from Asda! Big plans to grow parsley, coriander and fennel in the garden but waiting for the incessant rain to go away....
Many years ago I had a lovage plant and would love to get one again, as it is such a good substitute for celery. Does anyone know where I could buy a lovage plant?

[hungryhousewife Profile]

Hi Cooksalot - I've got a huge Lovage plant! I'll see if there are any seedlings! I love it, but it's quite strong so I go quite steady with it.

HH

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Borage grows wild here up in Leckhampton Hill, so I can pick it in September.

I planted a herb garden when I first moved to the Cotswolds: borage, lovage, pimpernel burnett, lemon balm, sorrel
basil, chives, parsley, dill, tarragon, chervil - blink and it's passed.


and came second at the town Open Gardens festival.

I think it was the smell.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

How extremely satisfying! I love borage, and whenever I've grown it it always gets covered in blackfly - but my MIL used to live reasonable close to Cheltenham, and she used to have lots of borage and never a blackfly! It's such a beautiful little flower. I must try again. I'm not so keen on the white borage - to me it just looks rather grey and fluffy.
HH

[Wokman Profile Website]

I'm glad that lovage has been mentioned, I have been meaning to plant some for the past few years but always seem to end up forgetting it.
I might just get a piece of gignger from the supermarket and see how that turns out too.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

We grew lemongrass in the greenhouse a few years ago. It was OK, but quite a lot of work for a few bits of lemongrass. Sometimes when I have galangal, it is virtually sprouting. I've never tried planting it, but I bet it would grow. It is virtually growing in the fridge!!
HH

[Mrs Vee Profile]

I'm glad that lovage has been mentioned, I have been meaning to plant some for the past few years but always seem to end up forgetting it.
I might just get a piece of gignger from the supermarket and see how that turns out too.

Wokman, we dug our lovage up last year; it had been a tiny little plant about 15cms high when we bought it. When we dug it up it was taller than our 2 metre fence! I only bought it because I like a few leaves in a salad!