We all think of herbs and something we can only start growing in the Spring, but you can grow many of them all year round, either in your greenhouse or on a sunny window sill inside your house.

Herbs, like many other plants, there is a lot of strange terminology to go with them. So let me go through the ones I sowed today.

Chives – Are Perennials, which means these plants come back year after year, and get bigger each time. They will die back in the winter and have a little sleep over the cold weather, and then start growing again once the weather warms up in the Spring.

Basil – Are Annuals, which means it only lasts for one year. It will want to send out flowers and then seeds heads, so if you notice any starting to grow, trim them off immediately and your plant will last a little longer. This happens very quickly during the summer, so keep watching your plants. Once the frosts come, if the plants are outside they will die, so bring them inside the house to make them last a little longer.

Coriander – Again is an annual, and will set seed quickly in the summer. If you want to let it go to seed, you can always keep the seeds and using in cooking. Make sure you use the stalks as well, because they have just as much flavour as the leaves.

Parsley – Which ever variety of Parsley you have they are all Biennials. This means they will last for 2 years. The first year you’ll get loads of leaves that you can harvest, and then the second summer they will produce flowers and go to seed. The varieties I’m growing this year are “Giant of Italy” and “Moss Curled 2”.

Dill – Again is a Biennial, therefore only lasts 2 years. Dill is not grown very often, as it has quite a strong flavour to it. But I think it’s a very under rated herb, and goes incredibly well with fish.

With regards to all these herbs, the more you harvest them the more they will grow, so get snipping.

There will be more herbs to follow.