Get ready for spring – Growing your own herbs

Now is the time to begin planning your herb garden.
Although it is still pretty cold outdoors, if you look closely in some gardens you will begin to see new signs of growth in their herb beds. If you don’t mind braving the cold now’s the time to tidy up your beds, pot up autumn cuttings, take root cuttings of some herbs like Mint and you can also begin to sow seeds.
Starting a herb garden
If you have never grown a herb garden before, the first task is to choose a sunny and sheltered spot in your garden for your herb bed. Check that you can access all areas of your chosen spot.  Next you need to think about what you would like to grow, which herbs do you like/dislike or would like to try for the first time?
Once you have your list do take into consideration that many types of herbs including Rosemary, Lavender and Thyme do not like waterlogged soil which can often be a problem during winter in ground level beds. If you know that your soil is prone to water logging  creating a raised bed with horticultural grit in the soil will help to resolve this issue.
Your planting during this month will ensure a fantastic evergreen herbal structure which will be in full flourish by next winter. Your planned herb garden should include some if not all of the following herbs:

• Cotton Lavender
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Sage
• Bay
• Salad burnet
• Juniper

All of these herbs are evergreen so will look and taste fabulous all year round.
Towards the end of February you can also sow the following herb seeds in a cold greenhouse:

• Parsley
• Chives
• Chervil
• Dill

You can view a wide range of herb starter kits at Jack’s Garden Store. Each kit will help you on the way to growing your own fresh produce!
Caution
Do bear in mind that we are still likely to suffer from frost during February. Tender shoots will need to be protected at night. If you are not using a greenhouse a simple way of keeping your plants protected is with a horticultural fleece or alternatively you can use a cold frame. A cold frame acts as a mini greenhouse as is a great alternative if you have limited space or budget.
Good Luck
Gardener Jack