The Herbs

Most people think of herbs as a specific type of plant, which is to be added to cooking to enhance the flavour or give a completely different taste. However, any herbaceous or woody plant which is aromatic in one or more of its parts, and which is considered to have culinary, medicinal or cosmetic value can be called a herb.

One of the most satisfying ways to grow herbs is to enclose them in their own garden within the main garden. Nearly all kinds like full sun, well cultivated soil, and a certain amount of shelter.

Dill Anethum graveolens

This is a hardy annual growing to 90cm tall, with a spread of 30cm. It is not unlike fennel in appearance, with very finely divided fern-like leaves and a thick stem. It bears small, dull yellow flowers from June to August. Seed should be sown outdoors in March or April in a moist but well-drained soil, and in a sunny position. Germination takes two to three weeks depending on the soil temperature. Rows should be 30cm apart, and the seedlings should be thinned to 23cm in the rows. It does not transplant well. July sowings can also be made for autumn use. Keep the plants well watered to prevent premature flowering.

The leaves are used for flavouring salads, fish and vegetables; the seeds taste unpleasant but can aid digestion and also act as a mild soporific.

Garlic Allium sativum

It has a bulbous base made of separate segments called cloves, and grass-like leaves about 30cm tall. The flowers are white, appearing in the summer, and grown to 60cm tall. The cloves should be planted in mid-February or March, or in October, in a light rich soil on a sunny site. Plant them with just the tips showing above the soil surface, about 20cm apart in the rows, and with 30cm between the rows. Take the flowering stems off, and harvest the crop when the leaves turn yellow, and hang the cloves to dry in a warm shady place. Use a new site every year to reduce the risk of white rot attacks.

Garlic has a very strong flavour and odour, and should be used sparingly in cooking. It is sometimes thought to have considerable antiseptic and antibiotic qualities.

Horseradish Armoracia rusticana

Horseradish grows to 60cm tall. It is a perennial, with large basal leaves 30 to 60cm long, and produces small white flowers in May. The roots are fleshy and fanged. Be sure you really want it; it can be very hard to eradicate once established. Cultivation should supply a rich moist soil worked to a depth of 60cm. Plant 8cm root cuttings in March, 30cm apart, just covered with soil, in an individual bed. Lift all the plants in late autumn, store the larger roots in sand, and keep the smaller ones in a separate box of sand for planting the following spring.

In cooking, the peppery roots are grated, and generally made into horseradish sauce. It has antibiotic qualities, and aids indigestion.

Parsley Petroselinum crispum

This is usually grown as an annual, though in fact it is a hardy biennial. It grows to about 30cm high and 15cm wide. The leaves are deeply cut and curled, and there are tiny greenish-yellow flowers from June to August in the second year. For a summer crop, sow parsley seeds in March or April. Soak the seeds in water overnight; this will encourage germi­nation, always a slow process with parsley. It will grow in moist soil, either in sun or shade. Rows should be 30cm apart, and the plants thinned to 15cm in the rows. Do not be surprised if no seedlings appear for up to four weeks.

For winter use, seeds should be sown in July, and protected under cloches in winter. It is a good container herb: 12cm pots are best. If you forget to make a summer sowing, pot a few of the earlier sown plants in October and keep them in the greenhouse or on the kitchen windowsill.

Parsley leaves have a strong and distinctive flavour, and are very popular for cooking. They contain a sizeable quantity of vitamin C. Parsley water is sometimes said to help get rid of freckles.

Sorrel Rumex scutatus

This is a hardy perennial plant, dying down in the autumn. The flowering stems can reach 30cm, and the spread is the same. The leaves are 4cm wide, and slightly fleshy. There are insignificant green flowers in sum­mer. Plant in spring or early autumn in moist soil allowing 30cm between the plants; remove the flowering stems to encourage leaf production. Divide in spring or sow in April, thinning when the plants are large enough to handle.

The bitter leaves can be used to make sorrel soup, but should be used cautiously in other dishes on account of their very strong taste. They contain vitamin C.

Questions and tasks for comprehension.

1. What does a soil healthy balance mean?

2. What role do nodules play in rotation?

3. What crops “like” to take nitrates from the soil?

4. Four-year rotation-three-year rotation. Is there any difference?

5. What is the difference between frames and greenhouses?

6. What kinds of greenhouses do you know?

7. What do you know about herbs?

8. What is your favourite herb for cooking?

Task 1. Which words can fit these categories?

A: agronomy:

B: botany:

C: zoology:

D: agriculture:

Seed, root, manure, crop, leaf, to dig, compost, frame, fertilizer, weed, caterpillar, pigeon, maggot, cultivation, sowing, fly, spider, seedling, blanching, pest, ground, harvesting, a mature, humus.

Task 2. Compose three-year rotation table including varieties of rotating crops. Table 2 of this unit will help you.

Task 3. Sum up:

1. Temperatures in greenhouses.

2. Advantages of right rotation.

3. General notes on herbs.

Unit 3

In this unit you will find the answers for the following questions:

• Are there general notes on vegetables?

• How to sow and cultivate beetroot?

• How to protect beetroot from pests and diseases?

• How to cultivate carrots?

• What do marrows “like”?

• Have onions a long vegetation growing?

• Why do green peppers taste best?

• Why do we like potatoes so much?