herbs over a long season

[ashleighParticipant]

we may have the opportunity to supply herbs for a local sausage maker, if we can guarantee reliable supplies. does anyone have experience of growing thyme / chives / sage / coriander and other sausage-y herbs continuously? can anyone recommend a book or website about this relevant to the UK?

[bluebellParticipant]

Great that you have the butchers on board.
I have sage and thyme in a pot by my back door and pick from them all year, although they don’t grow much so you would need to have quite a few plants at the beginning of winter.
Chives and coriander I have not done so well with so look forward to hearing other answers.

[StephParticipant]

If you want to supply chives, thyme and sage over the winter months you need to have plants indoors, more than you’d need over the summer as growth is slower and leaf quality lower. Grow them in pots or in the ground in a polytunnel, greenhouse or similar – in addition to those you have planted outside.

I grow many different annual herbs all year round too, such as coriander, chervil and dill – I do this by sowing (on heat in autumn/winter/early spring) every 2 weeks into module trays. These are either planted into a polytunnel and grown on in pots.

In the summer months these herbs bolt, so a regular sowing is still crucial to ensure a supply,

Good luck!

Steph

[ashleighParticipant]

i was thinking – as perennial herbs need shelter in winter but are much less vulnerable to wind, rain and slugs than other things that need the polytunnel – would it work to rig up some kind of coldframe shelter around them each winter?

i’m going to buy a couple of books about herbs. i’m hoping to find one with a similar level of detail to charles’ books in terms of sowing dates / tips to extend the season / quantities of plants needed. if anyone knows of one please let me know.

i’ll also be needing to get sage and rosemary cuttings as i don’t want to shell out on loads of plants!

[Author]

Posts