Sage, rosemary, thyme & lemon verbena …

 I shared the renewal of the herb planters & after emptying & repotting the herbs,  repotting the herb troughs this past week.

 I made a list of the missing ones that I need to add to the re-done troughs. There are 5 matching troughs but one that is tucked behind the bush contains the lemon balm & mints that have taken it over. I must still repot that one …

The previous sage & rosemary were past their best, too woody to be useful so I headed to our local plant nursery to find replacements. There was so much choice that it took ages to decide.  

There was a good selection & I selected 2 new thymes to go with the ones I already had. They have their own trough. Their tiny fragrant leaves are very useful & I should use more of them too in cooking.  

I thought a purple sage would be a nice change, along with just a normal one. 

And additional clump of chives joins the re-potted one because it is such a useful addition to summer salads, especially snipped in to potato salad. 

My favourite herb has to be the highly fragrant lemon verbena.  

I bought two because I often add the little leaves to cakes, cool water, baking bits because that it imparts that fantastic flavour. 

I was gifted a herb scissors a few years ago & the multiple sharp blades are essential with a good herb garden. 

I added a spearmint to my selection of mints & it joins the unusual berries & cream I potted up last week. 

New potatoes, peas,  lamb, jugs of water are all improved by adding mint or lemon balm that has taken over the original mint trough & I have potted the new mints in a second trough. 

I must make some mint sauce this year to tide me over winter when they die down. It was something Olive always did at the end of summer - jars of highly fragrant mint sauce to go with lamb dishes, new potatoes or peas. It is simple to make & delicious to eat. 

However, the local squirrels have taken to digging in the herb planters & this needed to be discouraged. 

I bought some bamboo canes that were about 120cm long & cut 3 for each trough length.

The cut off pieces is long enough to use as a support each side to hold the 3 lengths in a grid shape with the third shorter piece in the middle. I used green cable ties to secure the bamboo grids, it was quicker than cutting lengths of wire to do it. 

The grid rests on each trough & will hopefully discourage foraging in the troughs with the tasty herbs. I still need to trim the cable ties to neaten them up. 

The 3 tomato plants have been growing on in the covered  patio troughs against the house but they are now ready for transplanting because the risk of frost has passed. 

They are planted in a grow bag next to the conservatory where it is sheltered & warm. 

I made a basic support frame for them too with bamboo canes. They like this spot where it is not too windy as they are in a side return & close to the water butt for watering too. 

Some years are better than others for homegrown tomatoes, I am just doing 3 plants this year.

The essential herbs will be well used for years & the tomatoes are always a bit of battle of wills to get them to mature & fruit. 

I know, it is cheaper to buy some tomatoes but it is a summer tradition. 

What herbs are essential to your cooking? Tell all ..  

Thank you for stopping by, always appreciated 

Dee 🌱🪏🏡🫜🧑‍🌾