Grow some zero-waste herbs

Over the winter I was regularly buying basil and parsley pots from the supermarket only to watch sadly as the overcrowded plants suffocated and ran out of nutrients. 

We always ate too much in one go which exhausted the plant.

Supermarkets plant lots of seeds in one pot and force the growth, so you get lots of herbs, but very weak plants that won't last for longer than a few weeks. 

Yes, it's better than buying cut herbs, but even better is to grow your own!

I always hated buying the packed herbs as they would usually get lost and then rot at the bottom of the fridge.

And while I've always had a few herbs in the garden, I've never actually planned what I want to eat and have enough in the ground.

So this spring I made a concerted effort to plant and nurture a thriving herb garden.

Basil

I've not had much success growing basil from seed outside, but I have been able to get cuttings from supermarket basil pots really easily.

All you do is cut off a few stems just below a leaf node and put them in a glass of water. In a couple of weeks, you'll have seedlings ready to pot up into compost.

Chives

I just buy pots of chives from the supermarket and divide and plonk in the garden. Just one pot of chives can give me 10 new plants!

Dill

I used to hate dill. Now – I cannot get enough of it. It has a tendency to get a bit floppy and needs lots of light.

Bay Leaf

The roast dinner herb. An essential for cooking. Relatively frost hardy, but not to -12! That year all my leaves went black.

Lemon Verbena

This is our FAVOURITE herb. Think sherbert and lemons and limes all mixed together.

Everyone in our house rubs it when passing to get a sherberty sweet hit. It makes the most wonderful delicate tea. My husband calls it raspberry tea – because it was potted in an old raspberry plant plastic pot. 

He loves to make fun of my sometimes inaccurate labels. No more tea for him.

Chocolate Mint

I’m obsessed with chocolate mint, but my first plants kept sucumbing to rust. Over the years, I've been able to keep it going and prevent rust.

Moroccan Mint

Wonderfully sweet mint that is great for tea.

Parsley

A kitchen staple. Try growing the GIANT variety. 

Petroselinum 'Italian Giant.'

These are biennials, so you'll get two years out of them, but the leaves won't be as nice the second year.

Here's a favourite recipe I have for a herb omelette. 

I love the mix of strong flavours and freshness all the herbs give, mixed with the salty cheese. Yum!

Herb Omelette Recipe

• Two sprigs of dill

• Sprig of parsley

• 4 basil leaves

• Some perilla leaves

• A big pinch of chives

• 3 eggs

• A dash of milk

• A small handful of grated cheese or feta cheese

Simply wash and chop the herbs, sprinkle in with the whisked egg and milk and cook in the pan.