How to Grow Herbs in Containers for Flavour & Fragrance

Herbs grown in containers are ideal for windowsills, patios and balconies where the enthusiastic cook can have them close to hand. Not only are herbs useful for flavouring food but they can also look beautiful too when they come into flower.  Chives produce flowers like pom-poms on long straight stems in pale lilac or white, rosemary produces small flowers which present in shades of white, pinkish-purple and blue whilst the flowers of thyme are also small and pinkish-purple.

It's best to do some research before selecting a planter for your herbs. For instance, how tall is the herb likely to grow? If it's tall-growing like fennel or some varieties of rosemary you'll want a big pot so that your herb won't topple over in strong winds. Also, it helps if you can find out about the type of roots the herb has. Do they stay fairly close to the surface of the soil of do they like to go deep?

Additionally, when planting herbs, it's important to use containers that drain well since herbs don't like to sit in wet soil. This is where putting a few stones in the bottom of the pots before adding the compost will be a great help along with ensuring the containers have their own drainage holes; that is unless you are putting a smaller potted plant into a larger container rather than putting the plant directly into a large container.

Beginners to herb gardening might find it easier to start with plug plants rather than trying to grow herbs from seed.  When planting plug plants use a quality compost to get your herbs off to a good start. An alternative is to buy pots of fresh herbs from your local supermarket if you don't live near a garden centre.  Great success can be had with this kind of herb growing by planting supermarket-bought pots of basil, coriander and parsley straight into larger pots in the garden or even into a small garden bed near the back door. Parsley in particular, seems to grow best in a slightly damp, almost shaded area. With only just a little sun, these herbs have been seen to flourish right through the summer until early November provided there have been no early frosts.

Since container plants dry out quickly especially in hot weather you'll need to ensure they are watered regularly depending on what each herb prefers. If you are going to group herbs together in one pot, it's best to put together those that need the same kinds of growing conditions.  You will lose plants if plants requiring little water are planted with those requiring regular watering.

One of the many benefits of growing herbs in containers is that they can be moved around to suit the weather conditions and the position of the sun. The small to medium size containers can be kept on wheeled plant holders, which can make moving them easier especially for the not-so-young.  In sub-zero temperatures container grown herbs can even be brought off the patio or balcony indoors if there is no heated greenhouse or conservatory available.

Even if you are someone who cooks infrequently, you can still enjoy the beauty, fragrance and colour of your own herbs and some herbs like mint, can be used for making refreshing summer drinks. Most herbs are really easy to grow and maintain, and being a herb grower is one of the simplest and most satisfying ways of gardening.