Herbs that are looking good this week…

I thought I would start a thread on what herbs are looking good each week.

For those of us who grow herbs already, it gives an idea of regional variation.
For those who don’t, an idea of what they are missing!

The thought was inspired by this week’s harvest for the local food bank, showing how the winter herbs are giving way to spring.


From 12 o’clock:
Sage,
bronze fennel,
rosemary (just thinking about coming into flower),
marjoram (stems still short, but starting to get a good flavour)
Chives (this clump has really thick leaves!)
Lemon balm (not sure if this will be popular, but it was looking and smelling good, so I cut some)
French tarragon (not much smell to it yet, the first cut of the year)

 

Growing herbs is not something I’ve ever been any good at, so this should be an interesting thread. Funnily enough, I’ve just split and repotted a basil plant from the supermarket! I was getting fed up with the plants dying off before I’ve eaten a quarter of it. I’ve now got at least six pots, but they aren’t actually looking very good!

 

They will be suffering from the transition from hot house to s/market to home. To have basil at this time it will have been forced to grow at 30 deg C and then shipped about. Best option might be to select a few stems that are still healthy and place in a jar of rain water to root cuttings. Keep in good light at 25 degs or so. Should take 10-14 days, then when clearly showing roots transplant in to compost, maintain warm conditions. This can then be repeated all season.

 

This week's herb harvest, showing the difference a fortnight makes. Loads of marjoram, fennel and tarragon!
So, starting top left we have marjoram, fennel, chives, thyme, and tarragon.



Silly me forgot about the sage on the window sill!

 

A pause, and then we are back to the weekly harvest

From 1pm, clockwise
Rosemary, marjoram, chives, bronze fennel, and sage

 

Although the herb harvest has been regular, my posts have not....

But here we are at the end of the summer season, and the weekly herb bundles are still looking good

from top left, basil, rosemary, tarragon and marjoram

 

Our herbs are very much left to their own devices too.

We use them in the kitchen every week of the year, and grow so many that I donate to the local food pantry each week, in little bundles. I hope that the “luxury” of fresh herbs helps to make the same basic ingredients more interesting. The fresh herbs certainly cheer up those who make up the grocery bags!
I find that the regular “heavy harvesting” of the herbs actually helps us too. Lots of lovely lush growth on the tarragon, where it would have gone all woody and leggy if unpicked.

Our fennel has long since gone over, because of the drought. But there were enough leaves for the swallowtail caterpillars, and we will gather some seeds soon.

 

I have a small, raised, stone walled bed at the steps end of our terrace and in which I have planted a rosemary, orange and lemon thymes, oregano and tarragon. They are all doing exceptionally well despite heatwaves, droughts, wet winters and being on the north side of the house so little, if any, direct sun in winter.

Just behind, on the slope between 2 levels of the garden, previous owners planted a bay tree which is now about 3 metres high and 2 wide. I also have a tarragon plant in the polytunnel and some chillies and grow ordinary and white flowered chives in another stone built raised bed which gets bone dry in summer.

Basil does well in pots or in the polytunnel but I've had no luck with parsley or coriander. I have reduced my mint collection to just 3 pots now.

Since we like gravadlax and I can't find dill in decent quantities i'm thinking of sowing some in the next few days as the soil is warm, we've finally had some rain and we shouldn't get any frosts till very late. Then I can do a whole salmon gravadlax for Xmas and NY. Yum.

 

This week's selection - the marjoram is getting a bit seedy, but still has good flavour

 

This week’s selection.

left to right
Marjoram, rosemary, sage and chives

(Photo taken with different camera, but same surface and lighting - hence different colour balance)

 

Potted up some supermarket mint and garlic chives a while ago. They are definitely appreciating a bit of extra compost.
I think I read that garlic chives can be a PITA in the ground. Is this true?
I know to keep the mint controlled.

 

Our chives do take over certain areas but we keep a check on them but don't know if they are garlic chives...is there a difference?

 

Garlic chives taste of garlic. I think they have white flowers but I haven't seen them yet @On the Levels