Pots of Flavour

Fresh herbs and vegetables are simple to grow in pots, so if the thought of digging a whole new vegetable garden seems a bit beyond you, collect up some pots and try your hand at a potted garden. Of course, if you do have a raised garden ready to go, these plants will thrive happily there too.

Herbs provide a long lasting harvest for the kitchen and flower over a long period, attracting bees and beneficial insects which help pollinate summer vegetables.

Spring starts at the end of the week, so now is the time to start planting.

Sweet Basil – grows best during spring and autumn (it can go to seed quickly in the hotter months). It has lush leafy growth with a spicy flavour is followed by white flowers. Basil is a kitchen staple, so plant it liberally! Choose a mix of basil plants – traditional sweet, lemon basil, purple basil, cinnamon basil or Thai basil.

Chives – where would scrambled eggs be without a sprinkle of delicate chives? Flowers of both traditional chives and garlic chives attract bees, which is wonderful for the garden.

Borage – pretty blue flowers attract bees and beneficial insects. Flowers can be used to garnish summer drinks or decorate desserts and cakes.

Rocket – as the name suggests it’s a quick grower, so regular harvesting keeps leaves tender and delays flowering. Rocket is a tasty topping for pizza and livens up a salad with its intense burst of flavour. When the weather warms up it tends to go to seed, so enjoy the spring harvest.

Tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, eggplant, cucumber and zucchini like warm conditions, so sow outdoors in warm areas, and seedlings raised indoors can go into the garden or pots as the soil warms. Keep slugs and pests away with pellets and remember to feed young plants well as they start to grow.

Tiny cherry tomatoes can be raised in pots as well, are a delicious straight from the vine.

Capsicums are very versatile, great in stir fries, stuffed and roasted, char grilled and marinated for an antipasto platter or eaten raw and sweet in salads. They are rich in vitamins A and C as well as containing vitamins K, B6, folate and manganese.

Capsicums like growing in a warm sunny spot and can also be grown in a good sized pot if you don’t have a garden bed. Capsicums are ready to pick in around 12 weeks and the fruit can be picked green or left to mature and change colour.

Garden pots are easy to tend and can be moved to make the most of the sun. Repurpose a disused outside table or bench and cover it with pots to make them easy to reach.