Herbs are a huge and fascinating subject in themselves, way beyond any competence I have.   There are some very good herb books, or visit the links above.

I wouldn't be without my herb beds though, with enough plants to have a good stock of fresh herbs for cooking and enough to dry for use in winter.   Oh, and a couple extra just for the bumble bees!

How do I look after them? - the generalities.

• Weeding is essential - particularly to keep perennial weeds under control.
• A mulch of compost in winter or early spring - epecially for herbs which are being harvested.
• On herbs from which you want use the leaves, cut off the flower heads as they appear.
• In autumn, remove annuals; cut dead material from perennials which die back; trim other perennials to maintain compact bushy shape; bring tender herbs inside in pots.
• New plants
  • Most seeds can be sown outside in May.
  • Stem cuttings - can be slow and unreliable.
  • Dividing perennials - best done in autumn or early spring.   Dig up the whole plant, and cut into smaller clumps.   Replant the roots and give them plenty of water.
• And a word of caution?
  • Those herbs in the garden centre look so small and dainty in their tiny pots - beware, some of them are "thugs"!   A "vigorous" herb means just that - or worse, in the case of Sage, Mint, Feverfew, Lemon Balm (and probably more than few others)!
  • When I started, I had ambitions of making one of these fancy herb gardens - now safely forgotten!   It requires a substantial knowledge of what each herb will become in 2-3 years, so I grow some in a permanent herb bed, trying to manage their competition; others in odd corners in the vegetable beds, and the really shy and quiet types in their own pots.

And a few specifics - organised by where I grow my herbs

• For a warm, dry, sunny spot - preferably in pots, as they are tender, and need to over-wintered inside or in a very sheltered and frost-free spot
  • Bay - buy a young tree; I've not yet managed to have one survive the plot in winter.
  • French Tarragon - has a better flavour than Russian Tarragon, but too tender to survive a Yorkshire winter on the allotment; well worth the effort to buy a plant or two, and keep in pots.
• For a warm, dry, sunny spot - grown in a permanent bed
  • Lemon Balm - good with chicken, or made into refreshing tea.   Well worth growing, but a real thug.   Mine is in it's own bed in an odd corner, and I do not allow it to set seed!
  • Oregano and Marjoram - I grow these as perennials, from plants set about 18 inches apart.   They are naturally low and spreading; I use the leaves and flowers (on a tomato salad? Mmmmmmm!) - or you can trim the flowers to encourage more leaf for drying.
  • Rosemary - needs to be kept under control, as it can grow into a shrub!   Grow at the back of the bed, and cut back half the year's growth in autumn.
  • Sage - a thug!   I've moved mine to it's own bed, so that it doesn't swamp the other herbs; also cut back half the year's growth in autumn.
  • Thymes - perennials grown from plants set about 18 inches apart.   They are naturally low and spreading, a bit more vigourous than oregano and marjoram.   I cut them back in autumn - but find that the centres are dying out; I'm going to try compost in the middle of the plant to encourage fresh growth in the middle.
• For a sunny vegetable bed - mainly annuals
  • Basil - a very tender plant, which needs to be started inside or under cover in April or May; plant out after the risk of frost is past.   For all that it's a bit temperamental and fiddly, very well worth growing - what could be more pleasant than a simple tomato salad, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with fresh chopped basil?
  • Dill - an annual; sow in spring where you want it to grow, and keep removing flower heads for as long as you want to use the leaves; leave just a few heads for seed (to harvest, or self-seed).
  • Coriander for Seed - easy to grow, just sow in position in spring.   It self-seeds readily, so you'll get plants the next year too.
  • Coriander Leaf also known as Cilantro and Chinese Parsley - not nearly so easy, even sowing varieties which are supposed to give good crops of leaves.   I suspect that as soon as the young plants experience the "temperate" joys of early summer in Yorkshire May, they panic - and set flower and seed instead.   Options:-
    • Sowing inside - didn't work for me; they obviously don't like being transplanted
    • And a daft idea - the self-seeded plants which came up among last year's potatoes seemed to give many more leaves before they were crowded out; sowing in autumn gives a much better crop?
• Herbs which like partial shade - again in a vegetable bed; mostly Biennials, worth sowing a batch every year
  • Chervil - I love the taste of chervil; a handful of chopped chervil, mixed with smaller quantities of fresh green herbs, makes a lovely filling for a simple omelette.   But I've had very little success growing it using plants from the garden centre - better to make several sowings, directly in the bed where you want them to be (they do not like direct sun), from April through to August.   Will apparently self-seed willingly.
  • Parsley - a biennial, but worth sowing a fresh batch twice a year (in spring and autumn); it's said to be hard to germinate (although I've not found it so), and I've read recommendations to soak the seed overnight in boiling water.   Cutting any flower heads can prolong the harvest of leaves.
    • And do try one of the flat-leaved varieties!   The traditional Moss-Curled varieties do well for traditional British cooking - sprinkled on a Scots Broth, or a Lentil Soup.   But the flat-leaves have a stronger and subtly different flavour - and much more authentic in certain cuisines (Lebanese Tabbouleh just is not right without it!).   Also the flat-leaved parsleys seem to be quite a bit hardier - I've been able to pick through the winter, and they burst back into spring growth quite a bit earlier.
• Herbs which like partial shade, and moisture
  • Mints spread very easily in the right situation.   They can be kept under control if you lift them and move them every year or two, or (better) plant them in a sunken bottomless bucket.   Some mints survive happily as a "clump".   Others, like my Black Spearmint, grow in an ever-expanding ring as the centre dies out (worth taking cuttings every 2-3 years, and starting somewhere else).