Herb Trio

These tasty culinary herbs are usually grown outside, but they can be kept indoors if you prefer as long as you follow a few simple rules. Indoors, they will have a shorter life, but keep cutting them back and you will find they last longer than you might think.

Like most plants, herbs need sunlight. A sunny patio, windowsill or a cool bright room is best. If indoors, try to keep them away from any radiators and their leaves from contact with the glass, where they may get scorched or chilled. Or of course pop them outside on a patio within easy reach of the kitchen door.

These herbs have been freshly planted at our Sussex nursery and sometimes the soil can still be a little loose on top. On arrival it’s best to remove all packaging, tuck in any loose soil and give your planter a little water if the soil feels dry. You are aiming to keep the soil damp rather than wet and it is a good idea to put a mat or tray under the planter when watering indoors to protect your furniture.

When picking herbs for cooking, cut or pick stems cleanly leaving a couple of centimetres of stalk above the soil, when you have used a complete crop of leaves allow the plant to rest and regrow. Regular harvesting encourages growth but once your plants have been harvested 2 or 3 times they should be left to rest completely and given a liquid feed or alternatively the individual herbs can be planted out in the garden in a sunny sheltered spot.

Problem solving

Kitchen herbs are generally very robust plants. However sometimes their fragrant leaves can be bruised in transit. If you notice any crushed or damaged leaves, nip these off to add flavour to your evening dinner and encourage new growth.

As conditions indoors can be quite humid, occasionally indoor herbs may develop a mildew or mould near the base of the leaves, if this occurs, pull off any affected leaves as soon as you notice them and try moving outside or at least to a sunnier position with good airflow. Uneven watering can also be a cause of mould and mildews so ensure that you water regularly but that the soil does not get too wet.