Why do shop bought herbs often not have much flavour and fall over so quickly

A.� A lot of shop bought herbs, especially the tender kinds out of season, may look very lush but have often be forced under glass and they tend to lack flavour. They also have a tendency to be soft, having been bred indoors and they are often rootballed as they in such small plants. That also means they dry out very quickly.

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A.� There are some that are harder than others, but by and large any garden, however small, can have its own herb garden. Many of the hardier varieties need very little care and in some cases herbs need to struggle to produce their best flavours.

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A.� Plants like rosemary, sage and thyme are not only tough but culinary essentials for many cooks. They can all be grown in good sized pots as well. They like a sunny free draining soil and where possible stick them as close to the kitchen door as possible so you can just nip out and pick a handful.

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There are plenty of different varieties available but in general it is usually easiest to stick to the older, tried and true varieties. Rosemarinus officinalis or Sissinghurst Blue are excellent, and also have fragrant flowers in summer. The more you hack at them, the bigger and bushier they grow.

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Sage

The same goes for sage. The purple leaved variety is becoming increasingly popular, not just because its foliage is rather ornamental but also because it has a slightly less powerful flavour than the standard green kind.

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There are scores of different varieties of thyme. Common or broad-leaved thymes are excellent all rounders and quick and strong to establish. However, there are all sorts of different shapes and colours like the excellent creeping lemon thyme, which is excellent planted in gaps in paving or on the location, orange thyme (Thymus fragrantissimus) and a number of variegated options.

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For outdoor growing coriander, dill and the aniseed-flavoured chervil, which seems to be enjoying a bit of a comeback, are all quite easy and can be grown straight from seed sown direct in April.

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Q.� What about the trickier ones, that need growing indoors perhaps

A.� Apart from the warmest regions of the south it is very difficult to grow basil outdoors. Thousands of us will have tried growing basil on the window ledge only to be disappointed by weedy seedlings that are a far cry from the big bushy plants you find in markets and supermarkets. It can just be a bit difficult but to get the best results sew it thinly (it hates being crowded) in a warm and light place. If you have as greenhouse you are more likely to get good results there than on the windowsill.

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Parsley will grow outdoors but can be unwilling to germinate. Again it tends to do its best under glass, certainly if you are growing on for plants to plant out.

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