Season to taste

Thai herb bowl
Plant a well-drained bowl with fragrant lemon grass, basil, chillies and coriander. As all these herbs (except for the lemon grass) are annuals, you’ll need to replant each season. Just trim the lemon grass down at the end of summer and it will sprout again once the weather warms up. Place in a sunny spot.

Bouquet garni hanging basket
Plant rosemary, sage, parsley (the flat leaf and the curly type) and lemon thyme in a basket lined with a pre-cut, specially made coir lining. Trim the sides to fit and fill with good quality soil topped with mulch to prevent it drying out. Place in a sunny, wind-free spot and take care to water regularly as parsley and sage should not dry out.

Chive trough
Great for an instant garnish, chives are easy to grow and come in a variety of flavours, such as garlic and lemon. Don’t give chives a ‘haircut’. By trimming the tops, the plant may weaken – rather trim from the base for the new leaves to regenerate.

Salad greens
Choose a large, flat container with adequate drainage holes and fill it with good loamy, potting soil. Plant a variety of lettuce and salad leaves. We planted rocket, red butter lettuce, red oak lettuce, pepper lettuce and sorrel. Place in a sunny spot and keep well watered and protected from the wind. Replace plants just before they go to flower.

Mini mint garden
There’s more to mint than the main ingredient in mojitos – sprinkle it over salads, rub it over lamb roasts or add it to desserts for extra zing...

Do-It-Yourself in 3 easy steps
Create a small mint garden that’s fragrant, useful and pretty.

STEP ONE
Select your plants, choosing from peppermint, spearmint to good old common mint and even chocolate mint.

STEP TWO
Trim a percolator liner to size and use it to line a kitchen colander. Add good quality potting mix halfway up.

STEP THREE
Top up with more soil. Water well (under a dripping garden tap is perfect) and watch your garden grow.

TIP
Mulch the top layer of soil with fine gravel to prevent dirt from splashing onto the leaves.

Images in body of article by: Martin Hahn