Growing herbs and their uses with Kitty Scully

Hippocrates -- "Let food be thy medicine & let thy medicine be food"

Freshly picked herbs are far more delicious and have much greater health benefits than their expensive dried supermarket counterparts so it makes common sense to grow your own. Once grown in a warm sheltered spot, herbs can be maintained with minimal effort throughout the summer and some throughout the winter and the payoffs go beyond your purse. Besides being beautiful in their own right, these sturdy, productive plants provide a bounty of flavour, fragrance and health benefits. You actually get three times the benefit from a single planting: pretty leaves and flowers to look at and terrific tastes to enhance cooking along with fantastic health properties. Herbs can and will upgrade an average meal into a gourmet feast for all senses, bursting with flavour and nutrition.

Herb	Propagation	Siting	Harvest Season
Basil – (Annual)	Sow 4 seeds per module with heat from Late March – Early June or buy a transplant	Tunnel or sunny window	Harvest regularly, mid June - Oct
Chives – (Perennial)	Sow 10 seeds per module any time in spring, divide clumps or buy a transplant	Outdoors	April – Oct, cut to ground level
Parsley – (Biennial)	Sow in modules for transplanting Feb – June or buy transplants	Outdoors & indoors over winter	All year
Coriander & Dill – (Annual)	Sow 5 seeds per module Feb – Sept successionally or buy transplants	Indoors & Outdoors	March - December
Mint and Lemon Balm - (Perennial)	Root or Clump Division. Buy transplants	Outdoors but contained	March – Oct
Oregano/Marjoram - (Perennial)	Divides well or buy transplants	Outdoors	April - Oct
Rosemary/Lavender- (Perennial)	Buy a transplant or cuttings	Outdoors	Mar - Dec
Sage - (Perennial)	Buy a transplant or cuttings	Outdoors	Mar - Dec
Thyme - (Perennial)	Buy a transplant or grow from seed, root division or cuttings in Spring	Outdoors	Let plants become well established and then harvest, Apr - Oct
Lovage - (Perennial)	Buy a transplant or divide plant in Feb/March	Outdoors	Apr - Oct
Bay - (Perennial)	Buy a transplant	Outdoors	All year

Herbal Preparations such as herbal teas/infusions, tinctures, poultices & creams are easy to make and there are many fantastic courses given by specialists that focus on this. Two preparations that are super easy to make are: Herb Teas/Infusions: Put 1 tsp. fresh herb or 1/2 tsp. dried herb into a cup. Fill with boiling water and cover to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Strain. The usual dosage is one cup three times a day. Herb Oils: Fill a wide-necked, sterilised jar with fresh herb, broken into pieces with your fingers. When the jar is as full as possible, cover with good quality olive, sunflower, safflower or almond oil, preferably organic. Put on a tight fitting lid. Stand the jar in a warm or sunny place, covering it with brown paper if it's in a sunny position. Shake at least once a day for 14 days. Strain and store out of direct light. Happy Growing! Kitty Scully