Growing Your Own Herbs: The Best Herbs To Grow At Home
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There are lots of ways to be frugal when it comes to food. From eliminating food waste from your kitchen to switching to budget brands, I’ve tried them all and managed to cut my food budget right back. One thing I’m trying for the first time this year is growing my own food.
One of the easiest places to start when it comes to growing your own is herbs and microgreens.
While using dried herbs in cooking is easy and practical, nothing quite beats the smell of freshly chopped herbs wafting around the kitchen. Growing your own can also save money, as once planted they just keep giving and giving.
For someone like me who uses a lot of fresh herbs in cooking and is guilty of buying the odd bag of fresh from the supermarket (not money or eco-friendly!) this is definitely the way forwards.
More About Microgreens
Just like herbs, Microgreens are easy to grow and harvest and can add lots of texture and flavour to the dishes you cook with their miniature form. Getting started is easy with a subscription from Silly Greens who will send you three different microgreens to try in the post each week.
What Are The Best Herbs To Grow At Home?
1. Sage
Sage is one of the easiest herbs to grow in your garden. It doesn’t like to be too wet so make sure it’s planted in a lovely sunny spot. Picking the leaves encourages growth so don’t be afraid to use plenty in your cooking.
My favourite sage dishes include Chicken Saltimbocca and Pumpkin Soup with fried sage leaves.
2. Chives
Chives are a relative of the onion and they have lovely purple flowers in the summer. They need lots of water and sunshine to thrive. Chives can be used a multitude of dishes and pair well with cheese. Cheese and Chive Jacket Potato is a favourite in our house!
3. Rosemary
Rosemary is easy to grow because it’s so hardy. It doesn’t mind whether it’s in the sun or the shade as long as it’s not too wet. It can get a little unruly so will need pruning and shaping in the summer months to stop it going completely wild. Rosemary is a perfect compliment to lots of dishes, in particular, roast lamb although I often use it with creamy pasta dishes too
4. Dill
Dill should be planted directly into the garden in the early summer months. Dill shouldn’t be planted near carrots and will grow better in a sheltered spot. Dill makes a lovely addition to sauces, such as in this recipe for Lemon Chicken with a Creamy Dill Sauce.
5. Thyme
Thyme likes to be planted in a sunny spot and doesn’t need a huge amount of water to survive. Thyme has a wonderfully woody smell and can be used in lots of dishes. I like to use it to make my own KFC style chicken.
6. Basil
Basil is one of the most popular herbs as it can be used in so many different dishes and smells wonderful too. Basil likes a warm and sheltered spot in the garden and shouldn’t put outside until the weather gets warmer.
Trago has everything you need to get started with growing your own herbs this summer. See the Herbalists Calendar below for the best times to plant and harvest herbs.
Looking to get the children more active in the garden? Here are 30 ways to get them having fun outside.
