It was the Roman philosopher Cicero who said that if a man has a library and a garden, he has everything he needs. Wise words that resonate as I soak up the afternoon sun on my balcony. Surrounded by fragrant herbs and armed with unlimited Kindle books, I have a compact and modern version of Cicerco’s idyllic vision.
In limited space, herbs offer some of the best returns for planting – they’re fragrant, nutritious and easy to grow. They also lend themselves to being grouped together in pots and their foliage and form will make an attractive display even in the tiniest of growing spaces – with the added benefit of always having something fresh for the kitchen within easy reach.
A herb is any plant with either a culinary or curative application. Many of the herbs that are popular in cooking originated in the Mediterranean, and will grow well in the warm and sunny conditions of the UAE. Now is the ideal time to get started, either with planting seeds or with planting small herb plants into pots or directly in the ground.
A good basic palette for a herb garden, with wide-ranging culinary applications, might include: common basil (Ocimum basilicum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), mint (Mentha spicata), garden parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum). Add to these evergreen shrubs such as sage (Salvia officinalis), common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and marjoram (Origanum majorana), all of which, with the right care and feeding, will grow for many years in larger pots.
You’ll need appropriate potting compost. Look for loam, as it has good drainage, aeration and moisture retention. Add some fine grit or sand to this to improve drainage, but no more than 20 per cent, and make sure your sand is not salty, or else your plants will suffer. For this and other basic supplies, try Ace Hardware stores across the UAE, the Dubai Garden Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road or the Plant Souk in Dubai (on the Dubai-Hatta Road, past Dragon Mart, heading towards Hatta). Géant supermarkets also sell a selection of seeds, although their range is limited.
The Farmers’ Market on the Terrace, which is back at Dubai’s Jumeirah Emirates Towers every Friday morning from November 28, is another source for small plants. The Balcony and Urban Gardening Group in the UAE (BUGGS) is organising a plant swap there at the end of this month (just make sure to take along something of your own to swap, so you won’t leave empty-handed). The group’s Facebook page also provides an excellent forum for sharing growing tips and has a keyword search if you’re looking for specific advice.
Most herbs are easy to grow in almost any kind of container or pot, provided they have drainage holes. Big is good (at least 30 centimetres in diameter) to allow for growth and to prevent your herbs from drying out, but make sure your containers are not so large that you can’t move them around. As your herbs start to grow, you will quickly learn that some have preferences, in terms of strength of sun and shade, and you will have to cater for their needs accordingly.
You should place a couple of inches of either broken terracotta or crockery, gravel, polystyrene blocks or larger stones at the base of your pot before you add your potting compost. This will assist with drainage and prevent the roots from becoming waterlogged. When watering, aim for moist rather than soggy. You should be watering on a daily basis, making sure that the water reaches into the soil and can nurture the roots; a fine water spray on the foliage just won’t do the job. Daily watering will be absolutely essential for pots, so consider a drip-irrigation system if you can’t always tend to them and don’t have any neighbours on hand to help.
Alternatively, you could invest in some knee-saving and budget-busting raised bed containers, supplied by companies such as Agriculture Box, which are installed by professionals, who also take care of irrigation and soil.
If you’re planting smaller plants, delicately tease out the roots before planting to give them a head start. A pencil makes an ideal hole for seedlings, while a spoon or small trowel can be used to pave the way for more established small plants. Press them in gently so they make contact with the soil.
Don’t be tempted to buy pre-grown supermarket herbs with the idea that you can plant them out. They aren’t designed for this purpose and tend not to last. And don’t be afraid to experiment with a range of different herbs. Rosemary has long been considered as a memory aid, and is even mentioned by Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” It also provides delicate lilac flowers, as well as deliciously fragrant foliage. Rosemary (like lavender) has a tendency towards woodiness and likes to be cut from the green. Cut below the evident new growth and you may not see foliage in that part of the plant again. In addition to pairing well with roast meats and potatoes, it’s a staple of Middle Eastern cooking and provides an attractive garnish when freshly cut.
Sage and thyme both work well with rosemary in cooking, as well as in the garden, and come in a variety of species, presenting a range of options for foliage and colour. The plants have a low form, so lend themselves to being inter-planted within gravel paths or in beds, as well as pots. Thyme is believed to have disinfectant properties and is used in infusions to relieve throat and respiratory ailments, while sage has been shown to stimulate cognitive function, according to recent research by Bristol University in the United Kingdom.
Chives will continue to grow season after season – just divide the plant and repot it when it runs out of space.
Basil, which is fragrant and delicious with salad leaves, tomatoes and pasta, is an ideal pot plant and adores the sun. Homemade pesto is one of the most delicious things on the planet and freezes well in plastic Ziploc bags – all you need to do is break off a piece whenever you need to flavour a dish.
Basil will propagate in water if you take small stems with four or five leaves and leave them in clean water for a couple of weeks, while waiting for roots to appear. When they have reached around an inch in length, they’re ready for planting. The Farmers’ Market on the Terrace is a great source for at least two types of basil when it’s in season, and I’ve had success propagating these.
When harvesting your herbs, generally speaking you should aim to pinch leaves from the top to encourage bushy plant growth. When basil begins to flower, you should also pick these off to encourage the plant’s energy to go into generating new leaves.
Delicate coriander, parsley and mint all grow well from seed, or you can buy tiny plants and bring them on with ease. Once established, they should be snipped and harvested at regular intervals. You can also freeze some of your cut herbs in an ice-cube tray to add flavour to soups and stocks when the growing season is over.
Do be aware that mint has a tendency to bolt, which means that if you plant it in the garden it may spread where you don’t want it. If planting directly into garden soil, you can use a cut-out plastic pot to ring fence the growth – plant it just below the soil surface to prevent it from looking unsightly. For this reason, I tend to give mint a pot of its own. It grows quickly, but will also need the occasional feed, or it will start to look stringy, with small leaves. A handful of fresh mint leaves mixed with hot water is bursting with antioxidants and can settle an upset stomach.
Satisfying, nutritious, convenient and fragrant, a potted herb garden will not only look good, but it will also provide an ideal spot to pause and reflect on ancient wisdom for the modern age.
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