Your Herb Garden. Barbara Segall

Скачать книгу

half-hardy and hardy annuals indoors, in the greenhouse or into their growing positions in early spring.

       SEED TO ORDER

       ANNUALS

       Basil • Borage • Chervil • Coriander • Dill • Nasturtium • Orach • Perilla • Pot marigold • Salad rocket • Summer savory

       BIENNIALS

       Angelica • Caraway • Evening primrose • Mullein • Parsley

       PLANTS TO BUY

Bay • Box • Chives • Curry plant • Fennel • French tarragon • Lavender • Lemon verbena • Lovage • *Rose • Sage • Salad burnet • Southernwood • Thyme • Wall germander

*Plant out bare-root roses direct into their growing sites.

       PLANTING A CULINARY SQUARE

      On graph paper, divide the rectangle into quarters. Number them 1, 2, 3, 4 and then write in your planting plan for each quarter. Use chives and parsley to make the herb hedges that line the paths. There are several different types of thyme, rosemary and sage which offer attractive foliage and shape, as well as aromatic leaves and fragrant flowers.

       Mint should be kept in a bed of its own, otherwise it will rampage through the whole herb garden. Once again, there are several types that you can group together to make an attractive and aromatic mint collection. Plant each sort in separate containers to stop them overwhelming each other, and then sink the containers into the ground. Make sure the containers have drainage holes.

       Plant tarragon at the back of one of the north-facing quarters. It grows to 60cm (2ft) and will otherwise cast a large shadow on the other herbs.

       In the round area at the centre of the four quarters, place a bay tree in a container. In cold areas, move it into a frost-free greenhouse when severe weather threatens.

practical project

       MAKING A HERB DRYING FRAME

       YOU WILL NEED

       bradawl

       screwdriver

       set square

       electric or hand drill

       hammer

       sandpaper

       pencil and ruler or tape measure

      From spring until autumn one of the main tasks of a herb gardener is managing the harvest of leaves, flowers and seeds. They can all be preserved to keep their flavour, colour and fragrance, ready for you to use in cooking or to make scented presents.

      In midwinter most of the basic culinary and cosmetic herbs are dormant or still in, their seed packets. Evergreen herbs, such as thyme and bay, and those that you have potted up to overwinter on your kitchen windowsill, are best used fresh. Don’t bother to cut and dry them now. Leave the main harvest and drying time until late spring and summer.

      Many herbs dry well when tied into bunches and hung from shelves or hangers in a dry, dark and well-ventilated shed or loft. However, if you plan to dry large quantities for your own use, to sell or to give as presents, you will need a suitable drying frame to hold the herbs while they dry.

      The free-standing frame shown here provides six shelves, but can be adapted to suit individual needs. Give it added height by standing it on a table, for easier access to the lower shelves.

       MATERIALS

       NOTE

       Before you begin, sand down any rough edges

       CONSTRUCTING THE STANDING FRAME

       With a pencil, mark each upright at the top and bottom, 2.5cm (1in) from the edge and centred. Turn the point of a bradawl in the wood where marked. This will ease the wood and prevent the drill bit slipping. Use a hand or electric drill to make eight holes right through each pencil mark on the four uprights.

       Lay the uprights down on your work surface so that each has the drill holes facing upwards. With the pencil and tape measure, mark the position of the shelf runners. Measure from the top of the upright and make marks at 15cm (6in) intervals along it. These marks indicate the position of the lower side of each shelf runner.

       Pair the uprights and lay them down 35cm (14in) apart. Align the lower edge of the first shelf runner with a pencil mark. Use a set square to check that the wood edges align to make right angles. Fix the runner in place with two nails at each end. Next put the lowest shelf runner in place. This ensures that the two uprights are parallel. Continue until all the shelf runners are fixed in place.

       Use the four remaining battens to join together the four uprights, front and back, top and bottom. You will need someone to hold the frame steady as you do this. Fix the uprights together using 7.5cm (3in) screws turned into the pre-drilled holes.

       TO MAKE THE SHELVES

      

Скачать книгу