Growing your own herbs
You can’t beat the taste of fresh herbs, particularly rosemary, thyme and parsley, that have been freshly picked from your own garden.
You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to figure out just how much flavour fresh herbs from your own garden add to home-cooked food.
Once you’ve started growing herbs, you’ll be hooked, a true GIY enthusiast and will never look at dried herbs in the same way. Absolutely never!
Most popular herbs for Irish gardens
All herbs are pretty easy to grow. At CountryLife, we stock lots of different seed. But among the most popular year in year out tend to be rosemary, thyme, parsley as well as chives and, of course, coriander. If you’re starting out, try one of the starter seed packs we sell for those starting off.
If you don’t fancy growing yours from seed, we also sell herb plants in store. These are grown by Irish nurseries Youngs in Limerick and Rentes in Co. Kildaere. They are a world away from the herb plants you find in supermarkets. Ours are hardy plants and love being outside as well as indoors. Most of our herbs are in our 4 for €10 mix and match range.
Getting started growing herbs
My first advice for people starting out is to grow what you will use and only as much as you will use. I’m a particular fan of rosemary –not just for the Sunday roast either. Rosemary has lovely blue flowers and I particularly like to buy a creeping one and put it up against the back wall. I’ve planted mine with some rosemary, sage and thyme and recently stuck in some chives too.
Herb Growing guide
If you don’t have the specific herb pots, use any sort of pot you have to hand, they’re not fussy. And if you have room, herbs are great on a raised bed. Chive flowers look great and they are edible too, try them in a salad!
Your parsley and coriander will need to be replanted each year. Most of the others come back again and again, as long as you don’t skelp them too much. Never cut into the dead wood part or you’ll damage next year’s growth.
At CountryLife, we recommend using a good compost and an organic feed such as chicken manure, or seaweed feed.
Feed once a month. Again, herbs love sunny spots so water them as required if they’ve not had a splash of rain for three days or more.
Whether you have a herb garden or just a windowsill, you can be enjoying your own home-grown herbs in no time.
Get in Touch!
If you have any questions about growing your own herbs contact us on social media- @CountryLifeGC (Links in footer). If you have a specific problem such as pest damage it’s really helpful to send us a picture- we’d love to help!
SHOP PRODUCTS
All products mentioned in the above blog can be bought on countrylife.ie or in you local CountryLife branch. To find your nearest store click here.
Unwins Seed Herb Collection
A great value pack containing 4 versatile herb seeds.
Coriander Fine Leaved – Coriander is a versatile herb, the seeds are crushed and used in curries whilst the leaves are also good in Indian dishes, salads or as an interesting alternative to parsley.
Basil Sweet Italian – Basil Genovese is the most commonly grown variety. Ideal to use in salads especially with tomatoes, pasta sauces and combines well with garlic.
Chives Fine Leaved – The delicate onion flavour of chives makes it a perfect addition to soups, omelettes and cheese dishes! Or use just about anywhere you want a hint of onion and that wonderful emerald green colour.
Parsley Italian Plain Leaved – With a more intense flavour than its curly leaved cousin, and just as versatile, this parsley is widely used in European cooking.
Price: €5.99
Veg Trug Herb Planter
This sturdy herb planter is made of durable cedar wood and will create both a practical and attractive plant displays of herbs in your garden. Ideal for a small garden, patio or balcony, this easy-to-assemble planter is raised to the ideal height that allows easy-to-harvest herbs without you needing to crouch down or compromise your posture.
Price: €99.99
Unwins Herb Basil Sweet Green Seeds
A must in so many Southern European cooking dishes, the flavour complements chicken and tomato dishes, and is also great with eggs. Superb in salads too! Herb basil provides a strong flavour that tastes of mint and cloves. Give it a warm, sunny sheltered spot for best results when this herb starts to flourish it will have large aromatic leaves which will be visible on neat bushy plants.
Price: €2.99
