PLANT TO plate
THE BEST HOMEGROWN HERBS
What is spring without fresh, garden-grown herbs? They can make a pretty addition to your garden, as well as being an awesome source of flavour for cooking.
When buying your herb plants, beware of the pot-grown herbs offered by supermarkets, as these are usually grown under glass and are often too lush to adapt well to life outdoors.
CORIANDER
WHICH VARIETY?
Coriandrum Sativum: Can be grown for both leaves and seeds.
Leafy Leisure: A vigorous cultivar, which produces masses of leaves and is slow to bolt.
Lemon: Grown for its citrus-flavoured leaves.
HOW TO SOW AND GROW:
Coriander seeds can be sown in wellprepared soil, in the ground, or in a container filled with multi-purpose compost in the early summer.
WHAT IS BOLTING?
When a plant bolts, it basically means the plant stops growing as many leaves and starts to grow flowering stems. This is so it can create seeds, and hence reproduce.
Sow the seeds thinly and then cover them with a light sprinkle of compost. Germination should take place within 10-20 days. Then simply sow more seeds every 3-4 weeks for a constant supply of fresh leaves. If you would like fresh leaves in the early winter, try sowing your last lot of seeds in the early autumn and then protecting the plants with a cover.