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Jekka's Growing Tips - how to care for your herbs, and your herb garden...

The key to a successful organic herb garden is to work with nature. Perhaps your herb garden is sheltered by the house and the soil does not get much rain. Or it could be exposed from a prevailing wind, making the soil dryer than the garden next door. Read on for some planting tips and advice on how to get the very best from your herbs.
Herb Care
Hardy perennial herbs can be planted at any time of the year, except when soil is frozen or waterlogged. Water thoroughly and let the water drain. It is essential that new herbs do not run short of moisture around their roots until they are well established.
View or download Caring for your Herbs (right) Herb Care
How hardy are your herbs?
Plant hardiness is the lowest temperature that the plant can withstand during the winter. Various rating systems are used to describe it. We use the RHS rating system, and this is clearly indicated on all of our plants and seeds:

HARDY               hardy to -15ºC

FROST HARDY    hardy to -5ºC

HALF HARDY      hardy to 0ºC

FROST TENDER not hardy below+5ºC

View or download our Guide to Herb Hardiness (right) Plant hardiness - how hardy are your herbs?
Herb seed - when to sow?
If you're sowing your own herb garden, or allotment from seed, it can be tricky finding out which herb seed is best planted at a particular time of year. Our Month by Month Sow-Your-Own Guide will give you some pointers and help you decide which herb seed grows well throughout the seasons.
Planning a herb garden
You know that you want a herb garden, but do you know which herbs to put in it? Will you be using herbs to cook with, for aromatherapy, to encourage bees and butterflies? To help you choose (amongst our 600 + herb varieties), view our Herb Garden Collections, a rough guide to which herbs are useful for a first herb garden, for herbal tea, for biodiversity etc..
Harvesting herbs

So, now that you've grown your herbs and are enjoying a, bountiful herb garden, how do you harvest your crop? Read our Guide to Harvesting Herbs to find out how to collect, dry, store and preserve your herbs for a plentiful supply all year round.

For detailed information on individual herbs, see Jekka's books, or view our Herb of the Month series . Or why not sign up for a
Herb Workshop with Jekka?
For seasonal tips, sign up to our Newsletter.

We regret that in the height of the season, we are unable to offer gardening advice over the telephone. Read on for general herb care advice, and see our Farm Diary for seasonal hints and tips. If you need further help, please visit the Royal Horticultural Society who offer a wealth of gardening advice.
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Jekka's Herb Farm, Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol, BS35 3SY  - Tel: 01454 418878 Email: sales@jekkasherbfarm.com