how to grow herbs

I'm generally rubbish with herbs, apart from the hardy ones like oregano, mint, sage.. but I'm going to get some dill after seeing your photo @Escarpment - it's really pretty.

 

I can't find any dill!

 

I got mine in Morrisons, in the "growing herbs" part of the fruit and veg aisle. I'm not sure they always have it though. You just need to look at the herbs each time you are shopping.

I also got a fab rosemary from Asda, again in the fruit and veg, very big and healthy. I shall get coriander and basil when it gets a bit warmer. My local GC has more interesting herbs, I bought a hyssop from them last year but it didn't survive the winter. I've got some seed to try this year, and also some Summer Savory which I failed with last year (seeds came up but then didn't thrive).

 

Greek basil from the supermarket will grow into a box ball shape but will die first frost. You also need to make sure that air circulates in the centre or it can go mouldy

 

There's a beautiful, shrubby Basil called 'Magic Mountain', (Ocimum kilimandscharicum) which in theory at least is perennial. It makes a stunning summer display as an ornamental, with long spires of lilac flowers that bees and butterflies love. It's also good for culinary purposes.
I was assured by a nurseryman that if it's kept frost-free over winter and kept reasonably dry, it resprouts in spring. I've never managed to keep it going but will keep trying. It's not a plant I could live without

 

I love dill and have tried to grow it in the garden on several occasions with not much luck.
Dill has a very long tap root and doesn't like being transplanted. It prefers poor soil.

So this year I found an old clematis pot that is 10" tall, filled it with a mix of old compost and stuff from my my compost bin and sowed the seed about 1/2" deep.
Still waiting for germination atm.

The is also a dwarf variety called Dill Bouquet that only gets to about 1ft.

It's great as a dressing - especially for salmon
1/2 (small) pot Greek yoghurt, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp good quality white wine vinegar and lots of dill.

 

My first few attempts failed badly and I eventually realised I was overwatering. I had it in a pot on the patio, and decided to only water when it started to droop. That seemed to keep it a lot happier and I got the flowers and a good amount of seed. I might try sticking some of the seeds in the poor/stony areas of the garden, nothing to lose. The plant I bought this week will probably drown if the current weather continues.

 

That's the problem here all the time @Escarpment - trying to prevent things being too wet. If I grow anything of that nature, it has to be right up against the house walls, in a raised bed, and then fingers crossed!
Fennel is more forgiving though.

 

Coriander is a herb I always grow. Usually sown in a raised bed (so fairly good drainage) in dappled shade. Watered regularly. Can also be done in a large pot - fairly thickly sown.
It likes similar conditions to parsley - moist, warm but not hot. Will bolt very quickly in hot sunshine (but then you can harvest the seed for cooking)
Variety 'Calypso' is less prone to bolting and is cut and come again. I usually get 3 or 4 cuttings from one sowing.

I grow parsley by buying a large pot from the SM, dividing into 6 or so chunks and each chunk potted on. Works for both curly leaf and french parsley.

 

Coriander is like catnip to me, but I've failed with every pot. Life can be so utterly cruel.

My Sainsburys oregano has been taking over the flowerbed for ten years though - I think it's happy, lol!

 

My search for dill plants in the local supermarkets has proved fruitless so I did the next best thing- I bought a packet of dill seeds for 49p!
Thank you all for your contributions... I'm learning about (and yearning for) more herbs, especially unusual ones.