It is important when buying herb seed to get the correct variety and follow the growing instructions on the packet. All annual herbs are grown from seed and many of the perennial plants also can be started in the same way.

Levender Field

As a general rule, annual seeds are sown under glass in the early Spring or out doors May (Northern hemisphere) or October (Southern Hemisphere) when there is no danger from frost. Indoors or under glass use a good organic seed compost to feel seed trays or flower pots, firm the soil and moisten with water. Leave the trays for a day or two to allow the soil to warm up, then sow the seeds as evenly as possible, pressing fine seeds lightly into the soil. Cover larger seeds with a thin layer of soil. The trays should be screened with a sheet of glass or clear plastic with newspaper on top to shut out the light. Annual seeds take about a week to germinate; perennials may take three to four weeks. Remove the glass and paper as soon as the seedlings appear. The seedlings can be pricked out at the four leaf stage and should be hardened off when large enough before finally being planted out of doors in their flowering positions.

Many perennials germinate well when sown in Autumn. Collect the seeds of lovage, angelica and sweet cicely and sow them in a warm, sheltered patch, covering them with a thin layer of leaf mould. The seedlings will come up in the Spring and can be transplanted into their flowering positions when large enough. Alternatively, make a small circular trench around the parent plant and when the seeds are ready to fall, give the flower head a good shake, so that the seeds drop into the shallow trench. Cover the seeds with a little soil and leaf mould and leave undisturbed until the seedlings appear.

Herb plants should be divided when they become over-large and straggly. This not only increases the stock of plants but also produces vigorous new herbs. Lemon balm, sage, costmary and calamint can all put on an enormous amount of growth in only one or two years. Divide them by digging up the whole herb and carefully pulling the clump apart by hand or slice it cleanly through with a sharp spade. The centre of the plant should then be discarded. The divided roots be planted put in their new flowering positions in the garden and should be kept thoroughly watered until they are well established.