In your herb garden in May

Things to do in the herb garden this month

• Plant out hardy herbs such as foxglove, sage, yarrow and violets that have been grown in containers and pots
• Continue to sow seed outside and under glass. See below for ideas on what to sow.
• Prick out and thin any seed sowings, allowing strong plants to develop.
• Cut back shrubby herbs such as southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum), myrtle (Myrtus spp), cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus), lavender (Lavandula spp), bay (Laurus nobilis) and rue (Ruta graveolens), to encourage new growth and side-shoots, and to maintain an attractive shape.
• Take softwood cuttings. How do I take softwood cuttings?
• 
  Bergamot in flower
• There is still time to divide creeping thymes, verbena (Verbena officinalis), valerian (Valariana officinalis) and bergamot (Monarda spp.).
• Hoe and remove weeds that are germinating now.
• Cut woodruff flowers when out, for drying
• Cut thyme for drying before they flower. See the information below about how to dry herbs.
• Top dress container grown herbs with fresh compost

Flavour from the garden this month

• 
  Angelica
• Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
  An attractive, hardy biennial/short lived perennial. Produces sweet-scented, greenish-white flowers in late spring/early summer of its second year. The leaves can be added to rhubarb dishes to cut through the acidity, the stems can be candied.

  Candied Angelica

  Cut young, tender spring-time shoots of angelica into 8-10cm lengths. Simmer in just enough water to cover them until they are tender, then peel off the outside skin. Bring back to the boil, then strain and allow to cool. Weigh the angelica stalks and place them in a covered dish with an equal weight of granulated sugar. Leave in a cool place for 2 days. The sugar will turn into syrup. Put this and the stalks into a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. When the angelica is translucent and has good colour, discard the liquid, then cover the stalks with as much caster sugar as will stick to them. Dry the stems in a cool oven and store in an airtight container.

• 
  Caraway
• Caraway (Carum carvi)
  Hardy biennial herb, which produces tiny white flowers in its second year. Use young, aniseed-flavoured leaves produced during its first year in salads. Harvest seeds in the late summer of the second year to use in breads and cakes.
  Organic annual caraway seed is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
  Hardy, semi-evergreen perennial herb with small, oval, highly scented leaves. Dried pennyroyal can be sown into sachets and hung amongst clothes to repel moths.
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
  Hardy perennial herb with highly scented leaves. The small, cream flowers produced in summer have a light lemon scent and sweet flavour. It makes a lovely soporific tea.
• Bergamot (Monarda spp.)
  There are many species and cultivars of bergamot, but they are all hardy perennial herbs with aromatic leaves. The scent is similar to bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia), which gives the plant its common name. The leaves can be used to make an herbal tea, or in wine cups and lemonade. The flowers can be added to salads for colour and flavour, or dried and used in pot pourri.
• 
  Borage and Viola
  
  
  Borage
• Borage (Borago officinalis)
  Hardy annual, which produces blue, star-shaped flowers from early summer through until the first frosts. Fresh leaves can be added to salads and soups. Bees love the flowers, which can be added to salads or crystallised for cake decorations. The flowers also look great frozen in ice cubes for summer drinks.
  Organic borage seed (annual) is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue

  How to Crystallise Flowers and Leaves

  Crystallised flowers and leaves make lovely decorations for deserts, cakes and summer drinks and punches. Making your own is very simple:

  • Pick leaves or flowers on a dry, sunny day.
  • Remove stalks.
  • Lightly beat an egg white, until it is foamy.
  • Dip each leaf or flower into the egg white to coat, then dip into caster sugar.
  • Place on a sheet of greaseproof paper and cover lightly with another sheet.
  • Place in a dry airing cupboard or very low oven with the door left ajar.
  • When completely dry store in an airtight container.

  Leaves to crystallise

  • Bergamot, lemon balm, lemon verbena, mints

  Flowers to crystallise

  • Borage, rose, rosemary, sage

Herbs to propagate this month

Seed sowing

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Annual
  Sow into pots or plugs as basil does not like to be transplanted. Sow indoors or under glass (minimum temperature 13°C). Plant out only when all threat of frost has passed.
  When searching the Organic Gardening Catalogue, the tasty basil selection includes organic seed for 'Lemon', 'Lettuce Leaved' (one of the most productive), 'Red Ruben' and 'Cinnamon'.
• 
  Coriander
• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Annual
  Sow directly into well drained soil in sunny position, when night temperatures are above 7°C. Do not transplant this herb, as this will cause it to bolt. For leaf production, sow every few weeks, because it quickly runs to seed. Thin seedlings to 5cm intervals for a leaf crop; 25cm for a seed crop.
  Organic seed for coriander, both leaf (Coriander ‘Cilantro’) and seed (Coriandrum sativum) production available in the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) Annual
  Once night time temperatures are above 7°C direct sow at three to four weekly intervals in rich, light, moisture retentive soil. Thin to 20cm apart. Prefers partial shade and will bolt in high temperatures or in dry, sunny positions.
  Organic chervil seed is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Dill (Anethum graveolens) Annual
  Sow into well-drained, neutral or slightly acid soil in a sunny spot. Thin to 20cm apart. Dill will bolt if sown into poor, dry soil; or if overcrowded.
  Organic dill seed is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• 
  Lady's mantle
  
  
  Marigolds will grow
  in most soils
  
  
  Marjoram bed
• Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) Perennial
  Sow seed in a prepared seedbed in normal garden soil, or in seed trays with a general seed sowing compost. Germination can be erratic. Lady’s mantle will tolerate sun and partial shade, but not very wet soils.
• Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis) Annual
  Sow in situ in an area of full sun. Will grow in most soils, except poorly drained, waterlogged soils. It is very vulnerable to slugs so set traps or use barriers or organic slug pellets from The Organic Gardening Catalogue.
  Organic Calendula officinalis seed is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Sweet marjoram (Origanum marjorana) Annual, half-hardy perennial
  Sow seed in pots or trays April - May. Seed is very fine, so try sowing with small amount of silver sand. Leave uncovered. When large enough to handle, pot on or plant out in a warm, sunny area. Sweet marjoram is grown as an annual in cooler climates as it tends to die in cold, wet winters.
  Organic sweet marjoram seed available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.)
  Sow direct or in pots and transplant to prepared site after last frost. If growing for flowers, place in nutrient deficient soil, if growing for spicy leaves, grow in rich soil.

How to dry herbs

• Herbs can be dried in the air, or in an oven or microwave.
• For air drying, hang the fresh herbs upside-down in bunches in a dark, dry, airy place. Make the bunches 'loose' so that moisture can escape. Hanging paper bags over the herbs makes sure that none fall on the floor. Leave them until they become dry and can easily be crumbled.
• To use a domestic oven, set it on as low a heat as possible. – about 30 degrees Centigrade (not all ovens will do this.) Spread the clean herbs out on a baking tray or drying rack and put them in the oven for several hours. Keep checking them and repeating the process until the herbs are completely dry and can easily be crumbled.
• To use a microwave, spread the herbs on a bed of kitchen towel (it can be composted afterwards). Run the microwave on high for 1 minute, then check the herbs. Repeat until the herbs are dry. This method make take some trial and error and you should not expect perfect results at first.
• After the herbs have been dried, store them in dark containers in a cool place.

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