Herbs make any meal taste better,
especially when they're picked fresh from your own garden.
I'll show you how to plant and care for a herb garden,
so you'll have a good supply for the kitchen.
Herbs can be planted at any time of the year.
but some are seasonal, so check the tag before you plant.
You can plant straight into garden beds or in pots
inside and out.
Plant somewhere with lots of light
and in a place that doesn't get too wet.
Good drainage is really important, too.
Also think about locating them in a handy place
close to your kitchen.
There are two types of herbs--
annuals like parsley, basil, and coriander
need to be replanted each year.
Perennials like thyme and rosemary
can live for more than two years.
And one plant of each herb type is generally
enough for your garden.
That will give you space for more variety, too.
Herbs don't do well in soil that's overly rich or dense,
so grab some of this herb mix, which is nice and coarse,
and work it through your existing soil.
We've laid out all of our herbs.
Put them roughly 30 to 50 centimeters apart
to give them a little bit of room for growth.
We've put things like thyme and rosemary on the edges
because they do take up a little bit more room.
Thyme can also crawl over the sides,
so you're also optimizing on that space,
not overcrowding the middle of the garden.
And a handy tip if you're growing mint--
plant it in a separate pot, as it tends to run
and take over a bed.
Next, dig your holes.
Now, it's a good idea, before planting any herb into a bed,
to soak it in a seaweed tonic.
This just helps reduce the stress from the transplant
into the ground.
And just gently take it out, pop it in the hole, backfill,
and then gently press down.
And finally, watering.
Herbs also make great companion plants, which
means that when planted alongside certain other plants,
they help deter insects, attract pollinators, and can even
improve the flavor of the neighboring plant.
For example, basil is great planted next to tomatoes.
There's a detailed list of some of these effective combinations
on our web site.
Water your herbs regularly, and if they're in pots,
make sure they don't dry out.
Feed every couple of weeks with some veggie and herb
liquid plant food.
It has the right NPK ratio for herbs plants
with an extra dose of nitrogen in for their foliage.
Adding a layer of mulch will help keep the roots moist
and keep the bed weed free.
Herbs aren't generally affected by pests and diseases.
But if you've got yours indoors, then lack
of sunlight and airflow can reduce plant productivity
and attract insects like white fly.
If you spot anything you're not sure of, just take a photo
and bring it in store, and we'll sort you out
with the right product.
So when harvesting your herbs, there's
a few different ways to do it.
With thyme, try and work from the outside
in because it's a bit of a twiggier kind of herb.
With more leafy herbs, like parsley,
harvest the whole leaf.
And with chives, it's a good idea
to harvest them roughly two centimeters from the base.
And then with something like rosemary,
that tends to form a sort of a woodier shrub,
it's a good idea to keep it more compact so you'll
get more new growth at the top.
Harvest these shoots because they've got the best flavor.
With the annual herbs, like basil, parsley, and coriander,
pick flowers as soon as you see them to stop them
from going to seed.
If they do, the flavor tends to change,
and they can become bitter.
And that's how to create your very own herb garden, easy as.
Now, it's time to dig out the cookbooks.