Top 10 herbs to plant in your garden

Uses: Leaves have a mild onion flavor. Chop them and add them to salads, egg and cheese dishes, cream cheese, mashed potatoes, sandwich spreads, and sauces. Use flowers in salads.
Planting: Sow seeds in spring or autumn, 1 inch deep, in rows 12 inches apart. As soon as the seedlings are established, thin within the rows to 6 inches apart. Or set out nursery grown plants in early spring, 9-12 inches apart.

8. Coriander

Uses: Grind dry seeds to powder and dust over veal, pork, or ham before cooking. Young leaves are knows as cilantro. The roots, which can be frozen are used to flavor soup; serve chopped with avocados.
Planting: Sow seeds in early spring, 1 inch deep, in rows 12 inches apart. Thin within established seedlings to 6 inches apart.

7. Mint

Uses: Brew leaves into tea, or use to garnish cold drinks. Spearmint is generally used to make mint sauce or jelly. Sprinkle dried or fresh leaves over lamb before cooking.
Planting: In autumn or spring, plant 4- to 6-inch pieces of root 2 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Water well. Check roots' tendency to overtake nearby plant roots by sinking boards or bricks 1 foot deep around beds or by planting in a large bottomless plastic bucket sunken into a garden bed.

6. Parsley

Uses: Mix leaves into salads, soups, stews, casseroles, and omelets. Serve fresh as garnish with meat, fish, and onion dishes.
Planting: Sow seeds in midspring for summer cutting, midsummer for autumn and winter harvests. Soak seeds overnight and broadcast thinly. Thin established seedlings to 9-10 inches apart.

5. Sage

Uses: Dried leaves are a traditional constituent of poultry stuffing. Use also with lamb, pork, sausage, and in cheese dishes and omelets.
Planting: Can be grown from seeds sown in early spring. Set out nursery grown plants in midspring approximately 1 foot apart.

4. Thyme

Uses: Rub chopped leaves (fresh or dried) into beef, lamb, veal, or pork before roasting. Sprinkle over eggs, cheese dishes, vegetables, fish, or poultry. Add to soups, stews, stuffings, and rice. Brew into tea with a little rosemary and mint.
Planting: Sow seeds in midspring in shallow rows 1 foot apart. When seedlings are established, thin to 6-inch. spacings. Set out nursery-grown planting in early spring, 6-9 inches apart.

3. Lavender


Uses: dried leaves and flowers can be used in potpourris, cosmetics or in netting sachets to keep your linen smelling fresh
Planting: before the last flowers have opened, cut stems and hang in bunches upside down in a warm airy place. Once dry, remove the leaves and flowers and store them in an airtight jar. Lavender flowers are very fragrant and the herb can be used as an attractive landscape plant as well.

2. Rosemary


Uses: best in meat (especially lamb) or fish dishes and sauces. Also used in cosmetics
Planting: Plant in well drained soil in a sun or partial shade area, can grow indoors. Don't worry if it doesn't grow straight away, germination is often erratic

1. Rocket

Uses: Along with pasta, pizza and polenta, Rocket (Eruca vesicaria) or Arugula, as it is known in Mediterranean cuisine, has found its way into South African home cuisine. The young leaves have a distinct peppery taste so they can be used in almost any combination.
Planting; Rocket is a hardy biennial that grows easily and quickly but to make the most of it there are a few tips to keep in mind. Harvest the leaves regularly because the more you pick the better the quality. Cut the plant down when it comes into flower because the leaves produced after flowering are not pleasant to eat.
Rocket tends to bolt into flower in hot weather so be prepared to cut down the plant two to three times during the season. Just keep the soil moist and feed weekly with a water-soluble plant food.