Maris, in Holland, does not own a garden, but has taken over a strip of garden (less than 2ft) at the back of his flat, which is not mowed by the local municipal fortnightly. He asks: “So I started growing 10 types of herbs and it is quite successful - I have Dill, Celery, Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Coriander, Parsley, Sage, Rosemarie, Mint and also Rocket leaves for salad. These are not big plants but most certainly serve our purpose in bringing more flavour and goodness into our daily meals and I just love them. Rocket leaves I can pick only once a fortnight, but the rest grows beautifully. Most people are amazed at what I have done and I when I see the mowing machine and its operator I quietly point out to these little angels and beg of him not to run it off!

Now the most important question ? Which one of these herbs could withstand the weather in winter? And those that cannot withstand the winter, could I pot them and keep them inside?”

TopVeg replied:

Basil, dill, rocket & coriander are annuals (that is a plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year.) So you will have to start again with seed next year.

Mint and oregano will die back in the winter, but grow again next year. As they are very vigorous, you could lift a little piece of the root and pot it up. This may last longer into the winter when indoors, and start earlier in the spring.

Thyme and rosemary are evergreen shrubs. They will keep their leaves all through the winter, although the rosemary is quite tender & may get caught by the frost.

Parsley is a biennial plant (which takes two years to germinate, flower and die) - so it will need to be replanted every 2 years, unless you let it reseed.

Sage will live for several years, although the leaves often get frosted.

Celery is an annual. I am not sure how you use this as a herb - we use the stalks either cooked or in salads. It needs masses of water.

I wonder if your border is on the edge of the road? If so, the salt put on the roads in frosty weather may splash on to your herbs. This will not do them any good. It would be worth putting a small root of each herb in a pot (old yogurt pots are ideal) & keeping it on a windowsill for the winter , ready to plant outside in your border in the spring. This will be an insurance - so that you have an emergency supply if the herbs in the border die.

Hope that helps!

TopVeg