“Gardening with Herbs” is not merely the title of this blog post but the title of one of my favourite books on herb growing, written by George Carter and illustrated by Marianne Majerus; published by Ryland Peters and Small, 1997, ISBN 1856136140.   I bought my copy around ten years ago, if I remember rightly at Harewood House in Yorkshire.

This is a genuine workbook but also with beautiful photography. Included in its 112 pages there are 20 step-by-step projects, with fold out schematic diagrams which can either be followed precisely or adapted to your own needs.

Six years ago I built a multi-tier, semi-circular plant-pot staging to the design in this book. It has given sterling service.  Last summer I didn’t use it for herbs but for a fuchsia display at the front of the house. This coming season it’s scheduled to return to herb duty, at the back conveniently close to the kitchen door.

Sadly “Gardening with Herbs” seems to be out of print now, but I see that some copies are available through Amazon, and also through several book dealers’ networks. Here are some links to find both new and used copies. When I checked today there were copies available on both sides of the Atlantic, some of them at extremely attractive prices.

• Gardening with Herbs - via Amazon.co.uk
• Gardening with Herbs - via Abebooks.com
• Gardening with Herbs - via Biblio.com

I strongly recommend this book. It comes in the form of a beautifully produced hard-cover spiral-bound manual. Buy it, try one or more of its projects, and you’re unlikely to go wrong.

[While setting up this page I noticed what seems like a similar book, and may be the same, by the same authors published more recently as a paperback in 2006. I have not seen it, but you might like to take a look at Herbs: 20 simple projects for the weekend gardener].

Tags: gardening, growing herbs, herb garden, Herb Garden Projects

In my part of the world (central England) February is often a dismal month of cold, damp mists and the days still short. However, the herb gardener can brighten up the season with thoughts of what is to come.

If you’ve not already done so in January, plan what you’re going to grow this year and order your herb seeds now. (Click on the above link to find recommended online sources in both England and North America).

Out of doors, when the weather is kind, you can be preparing the soil. If you’re changing the use of an area you may have to do some energetic digging. Removal of weeds, especially those awkward perennials with underground stems and widespread roots, can be time consuming but in the long run the effort will be repaid.

Double digging will improve drainage, and while you’re doing this you can mix in some sharp sand or grit if necessary. Depending on what you are planning to grow you might also wish to add some garden compost or manure to enrich the soil, although many herbs are perfectly happy in poor soils.

Continue also with any construction projects started in January - or start them if they never passed the thinking stage! How about making some window boxes in which to combine herbs for the kitchen and flowers for decoration?

Toward the end of the month, if you live in an area where severe future cold is unlikely, you can start to divide clumps of perennial herbs that have grown too big and need some rejuvenation. In the greenhouse you can be commencing the sowing season, and also rooting some early cuttings.

Tags: February, garden calendar, gardening, growing herbs, herb garden, herb seeds

In the northern hemisphere January is a time of preparation for a new herb gardening year.  Depending on the weather, a certain amount of tidying and general maintenance can be done, but most work will be done indoors.

Some herbs such as parsley, chives and mint may have been potted up in the autumn for growing in an indoor herb garden, possibly on the kitchen windowsill, and hopefully you’ll have a plentiful supply.   Others such as sage, rosemary and thyme can be picked outdoors fresh for the kitchen even in the January cold.

If you’re intending to start a new herb garden in the coming year now is the time to work on the detailed plans.  Start by  measuring out the plot.  Calculate what materials you’ll need, such as timber or other edging for your beds, and chippings for your paths.

Order your herb seeds in January so as to be well prepared for the sowing season.  It won’t be long before you’ll be sowing the first of the annuals in the greenhouse, in a table-top propagator or in a warm place near the kitchen window.

If you are planning an outdoor herb garden in containers such as terracotta pots you might later want to arrange these on a wooden shelf structure.  This can be especially helpful to reduce the floor space used (for example in a patio herb garden) or to raise them to more accessible heights.  January is an ideal time for this kind of small-scale construction work as it can be carried out indoors.

Tags: garden calendar, gardening, growing herbs, herb garden, herb seeds, herbs, January