Vale Life resident garden expert Bob Priddle advises on all things horticultural

VALE GARDENS

I regard myself as being very lucky to be able to combine two of my interests, gardening and cooking, on a regular basis. As the winter nights begin to draw in and the temperature starts to drop, there are few things more comforting than digging up some leeks and potatoes and making some fresh warming soup. If nothing beats the taste of fresh veg, then I believe that fresh herbs are another essential that take some beating.

Herbs have been known about for thousands of years and have been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes since the time of the ancient Egyptians. In days gone by Greek athletes used bruised mint leaves to flavour bath oils to help refresh them after their excursions. In the middle ages, herbs were used to treat the cuts and wounds of soldiers coming back from the crusades.

Here in Cowbridge we have the excellent physic garden which gives a clue to the use of these plants as curatives. Before we had drains and sewers people used to carry bunches of herbs to keep away the terrible smell from rubbish that was left in the streets.

Old books on herbs sometimes refer to the use of strewing herbs. This is not someone miss spelling stewing, but refers to the fact that they were mixed into the straw and other material that covered the floors of castle and manor houses long before carpets came along.

These historical links give gardens a clue to their origins and their successful cultivation. Many of the more popular herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage and bay have their origins in the Mediterranean where they thrive in poor well drained sunny sites. The main exception to this is the mints that tend to prefer damper slightly shaded locations. There is a common misconception amongst some gardeners that all plants prefer moist, rich soils and that simply is not the case.

Herbs can be easily grown in containers provided they have good drainage. This is easily achieved by adding a handful of horticultural grit or sand to the potting mix. Containers make it easy to group plants together and provide the right conditions for them to grow. Terracotta pots look great but may need watering in very dry spells. Some herbs such as fennel and lovage, which have large root systems or bay trees, which are big when mature, are best grown in larger containers such as a half barrel.

In the case of mints, growing them in pots can prevent them becoming too invasive. You can also grow smaller herbs in window boxes or hanging baskets. You can plunge the plants in their pots and bury the pots up to the rim. They can be then be removed in order to make way for other plants when you want a change. One of the prettiest window boxes I’ve seen in a long time consisted of nothing more than violas or heartsease and moss leaved parsley.

Even if you haven’t got a lot of space don’t be afraid to dot clumps of herbs such as chives, fennel and borage in amongst and in your herbaceous borders. Rosemary can also make a great informal hedge. In my opinion herbs are best used fresh but they can be dried and stored successfully. Although in supermarkets many are sold in clear glass jars, sunlight can bleach away much of their flavour. Try washing out you old Bovril bottles or similar brown glass jars and storing your dried herbs in them.

Why not try growing your own garlic? Although you can split the bulbs that are sold in supermarkets, these may have been grown in Israel or Egypt and may not do so well in the cooler British climate. So instead buy varieties like Solent White or Marco from your garden centre which should provide a better yield. A simple guide is to start them on the shortest day and harvest them on the longest. Sow a few pots of parsley now and bring them onto your window sill or cool greenhouse when the temperature drops. On Christmas day you can then combine them with some sage, thyme and fresh breadcrumbs and make your own delicious stuffing.

Whatever the size and shape of your garden growing herbs is a worthy pastime, especially if you take full advantage of them when you’re in the kitchen.

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