A gardening expert has revealed the three herbs that Brits can sow now so that they are ready to be used when cooking over the summer months. Growing herbs can be a relatively easy process – and when it is done right you can get some really satisfying results.
There are some that are more easy to grow than others, and herbs that can be grown indoors all year round. But if you want them for the summer months, you need to plant them now. Seed manager at Fothergill’s Seeds, Rachel Cole, spoke to the Daily Express at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show and answered our questions about the easiest herbs to grow at home and which ones can be planted now so that we can use them when cooking for family and friends on a sunny summer’s day. She listed three herbs whose seed can be sown now so that they will be ready to use in the middle of summer.
She said: “Basil is a lovely one. Basil, if you lightly sow it on the top of some soil and lightly cover it, and dampen the soil before you sow it, and just leave it, it will come up and you will have an abundance of basil throughout the summer.
“You can grow it inside which is handy for kitchens too. The other ones are coriander, which is very easy. It’s quite a nice size seed and you can see it where you sow it. And chives as well, that’s a lovely one to have in the kitchen.
“Sow them now and July onwards, you will be able to start cutting and using for your nice culinary delights.”
Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow at home and there are ways you can make sure you get loads of it over the summer. It is commonly used in Italian dishes such as pizza and pasta but it also goes really well in a salad and even in smashed avocado.
Other herbs, such as rosemary and parsley, take longer to grow but Rachel says that it is “worth it”.
She was one of many exhibitioners at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. This year’s event wowed attendees with show-stopping flower displays and experts on hand to share their tips and tricks for a thriving garden.
