Anyone who is growing herbs in their garden is being urged to take steps to protect them over winter – or risk losing them to the elements.
Ground Force legend Alan Titchmarsh has put out a series of tips via Gardeners World to help gardeners protect their precious herb gardens in the freezing cold winter months.
Everything from garlic to basil, thyme, oregano and mint, sage and rosemary should be looked after closely in the winter, Alan says, especially during cold snaps and snow.
And with the Met Office predicted more snow could be on the way in the coming days, there’s never been a better time to make sure your herb garden is protected.
Alan Titchmarsh said: “Where would we be without the herbs that flavour our food?
“Even in winter, with things like bay in lovely winter soups and stews, being evergreen it can stay out all year round, in all but the coldest localities.
“The same is true of rosemary, both evergreens that can live in the garden all year round.”
But he added that the likes of basil and coriander are less hardy.
He added: “Other perennial herbs like mint and chives which tend to die down in winter – their interest and their savoury uses can be prolonged by digging them up now and making sure that you’re putting them in a place where through the winter you can carry on encouraging them to grow.”
Alan then showed his viewers that after digging them up, get rid of excess foliage, then plant chives inside in a tray after splitting them up.
Alan added: “I prefer to put a clump like this in a clay pot with some ordinary peat free compost.
“The prospect of having fresh chives right through the winter more than makes up for the bit of work you put into it. You can do the same with mint too.”
Gardeners World added its own warning as it said: “Wet conditions kill more herbs in winter than the cold, so place container-grown perennials such as oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary in a sheltered position against a wall or the side of the house or garage.
“This will reduce the amount of rainfall hitting the pot by around 25 per cent.”
