In your herb garden in November

Out now! The Organic Gardening Catalogue 2012
Choose from a wide range of herbs. Packets of herb seeds make perfect presents. Gift vouchers are also available.

Things to do in the herb garden this month

• Harvest the last of any fresh herbs that remain. Chives and mint will both die back very soon. Pick all remaining leaves and freeze for use over the next few months.
• When snow and icy conditions are forecast, protect evergreen herbs, such as sage and marjoram, with fleece. This should keep them going and available for use in the kitchen. Rosemary is tough enough to cope without protection.
• All non-hardy herbs should be under cover by now. Overwinter in a frost-free greenhouse, or a cool conservatory. Check for pests before bringing in and remove any diseased and dead foliage.
• Divide herbaceous, clump forming herbs such as sorrel (Rumex acetosa), sweet cicely (Myrris odorata) and vervain (Verbena officinalis). They can be divided to make more plants - as long as the ground is neither saturated nor frozen.
• Sow seeds of plants, such as sweet violet and arnica, which require stratification (a period of cold) before they will germinate. See below for information about stratifying seeds.
• Herbs in containers can dry out even in winter. Remember to water in long spells of dry weather.
• Insulate containers with a ‘duvet’ of fleece stuffed with straw or hay, wrapped around pots or troughs. Plants’ roots are at risk from freezing where they touch the containers’ sides. Hessian could be used as an outer layer to improve the appearance.
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) spreads easily from seed. Remove any remaining seed heads now to prevent it spreading all over the garden.
• Take care when digging out herbs and weeding this month. Many plants, such as the mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) may be dormant and easily damaged.
• Plan new planting. Click here for suggestions for culinary herbs for specific garden locations.

Flavour from the garden this month

Don’t forget the value of herbs in providing fresh flavours all through the winter:

• 
  Rosemary is evergreen and can
  be used throughout the winter
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus sp.)
  An evergreen shrub so leaves can be picked all year round. Use when roasting meat, potatoes or other vegetables. It can be added to a wood fire to give off a lovely aroma.
• Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Perennial
  This is a low growing aromatic herb with a mint-camphor-like flavour. It can be slightly bitter. Add in a small quantity to oily fish dishes and meat stews. It also adds a refreshing flavour to salads.
  Organic seed is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.
• Bay (Laurus nobilis)
  An evergreen tree, growing to about 25ft in Great Britain. Usually clipped to maintain as a compact shrub in the herb garden. Leaves can be picked and used fresh throughout the year, to flavour stocks, sauces and marinades, or in bouquet garni.
• Sage (Salvia spp.)
  An evergreen perennial used for flavouring stuffings and other fatty foods, including sausages. It has a strong flavour, and should be used sparingly. Cooled sage tea is an effective gargle to help sore throats and as a mouth wash for infected gums or mouth ulcers because of its antiseptic properties.

Herbs to propagate this month

Seed Sowing

Stratification is a technique used to break the dormancy of seeds that require exposure to low temperatures before they can germinate. This can be achieved by sowing seeds in the autumn, then leaving the trays outside or in a cold frame. See further down the page for some of the seeds that need stratification to germinate.

Outside stratification

1. Sow seed in a well-drained seed compost.
2. Cover lightly with coarse sand or grit.
3. Put the container outside, in a spot where it will be exposed to all weathers, including frosts.
4. Cover with wire mesh if necessary to keep mice and squirrels from eating the seed
5. Do not allow the compost to dry out or the seed will not germinate. Do not allow the seed to sit in water either, or they will rot.
6. In spring, prick out the seedlings into larger pots. Plant out when large enough, in late spring.
   

To speed things up, stratification can be done in a fridge.

1. Mix seed with damp (not wet) coarse sand or vermiculite
2. Put this in a plastic bag in the fridge; turn it occasionally
3. Keep the seeds in the fridge for up to 12 weeks – check them regularly and remove them if they start to germinate. After 12 weeks, whether they have begun to germinate or not, sow in a sheltered environment such as a windowsill or unheated greenhouse. They should germinate earlier than those stored outside for the winter. This method also means they do not end up as food for hungry pests such as mice.

All the following herbs require stratification.

• Arnica (Arnica montana) Perennial
  A very pretty golden-flowered, daisy-like plant, from the mountains of Europe. This herb grows best on a slightly acid soil and is suitable for the rock garden or flower border. It is a protected species in the wild. Arnica should not be eaten; it is for external uses only.
• Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) Perennial
  A native sweet-smelling, pretty herb, which produces tiny white flowers, from spring to summer.

• Dried sweet woodruff can be used as a fabric freshener. Place dried stems and leaves between stored clothes, sheets and towels for a smell of freshly mown hay. Alternatively use in pot pourri or herb pillows.
  
• 
  Yellow Iris
  
  
  Sweet cicely has beautiful
  flowers in summer and
  seeds can be sown now
• Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) Perennial
  A beautiful native plant suitable for a damp area, or water garden. Elegant deep yellow flowers appear early/mid summer and continue until early autumn. Now grown mainly for historical interest and wildlife value, as it has no modern culinary or medicinal uses.
• Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) Annual
  This is a very pretty small poppy with brilliant scarlet flowers; a delight to see in the summer cornfields. The seed can be used in baking.
• Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) Perennial
  A hardy plant with lovely pale pink, sweetly scented flowers. Containing a natural soap, this herb has been used for centuries as a shampoo and is still used today to clean medieval tapestries. Sow seed into a prepared flowerbed in full sun position.
  This plant should not be taken internally as it is poisonous.
• Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) Perennial
  Attractive fern like leaves and frothy creamy white flowers from spring to summer make this a favourite addition to the herb garden.
  Sweet Cicely prefers a rich, well-drained soil, but can spread. Leaves can be added to salads and puddings. Green seeds can be added to fruit salads. The ripe brown seeds have a sweet, aniseed flavour. Roots can be cooked like parsnip or grated onto salads. It also makes good wine. The flavour is of sweet, mild aniseed.
  Leaves provide a sweetener suitable for diabetics.
• Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) Perennial
  A beautiful low growing plant with sweet-scented purple flowers. The essential oil is used in perfumes, the crystallised flowers for cakes.
  An infusion of sweet violet flowers added to a hot bath helps to ease aches and pains.
• Angelica (Angelica archangelica) Biennial
  Native to continental Europe, angelica produces umbels of sweetly scented, greenish-white flowers in its second year. It then sets seed and dies. Young leaves can be chopped and added to salads, stir-fry dishes and soups. Stems of second year growth are often candied and used to flavour deserts.

Ideas for Christmas

• Sprigs of rosemary, thyme, bay, garlic and chillies can all be added to wine and cider vinegars to make attractive and interesting presents.
• To make herbal bath salts mix 200g of Epsom salts or coarse sea salt with a large handful of pine needles or rosemary leaves. Then add about 20 drops of essential oil – melissa or rose geranium will add a floral, seasonal note – and decant into pretty jars.
• Christmas pot pourri is simple to make from dried garden herbs and store cupboard ingredients. Mix juniper sprigs, dried rosebuds, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, cinnamon chips, cloves, and assorted pine cones together until it smells great and looks interesting. You can also add essential oils for extra scent and orris root as a fixative to help retain the aroma.
• Pomanders are easy to make and smell delicious. Take one large Seville orange and insert cloves through the skin to cover about 75% of the surface. You may need to use a knitting needle to make holes first. Roll the whole thing in dried cinnamon powder and orris root powder, then leave to dry for about 4 weeks in a warm dry place, such as an airing cupboard. Use to scent and repel moths from wardrobes and clothes drawers or place in a room to add a delightful seasonal scent.

Culinary herbs for specific garden locations

This is a good time of year to plan new planting. But where to plant your new herbs? There are more opportunities than you might suppose.

• For heavy shade
• Sweet violet (Viola odorata)

• For partial shade
• Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
• Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
• Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
• Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus)
• Rocket (Eruca sativa)
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Mint (Mentha spp)
• Parsley (Petroselinum spp)
• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
• Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

• For damp areas
• Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
• Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
• Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

• For dry, sunny areas
• Curry plant (Helichrysum angustifolium)
• Lavender (Lavandula spp)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Sage (Salvia spp)
• Winter savoury (Satureja montana)
• Thyme (Thymus spp)
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
• Marjoram (Origanum spp)
  

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