In the photographs below you can see that Herbie the Hedgehog has the new herb patches marked out and sheeted over for winter to clear the grass, while the plots we already have are mulching away nicely. In spring, we’ll be raising mint and lemon balm from root divisions and young plants in small standing greenhouses. Verbena will stay snug in the greenhouse too, as it doesn’t care for the cold — rather like Rachel!
We grow oodles of apples and pears here and we have already had a request for apple tea, which we will be more than happy to produce next autumn.
We are also cultivating a nettle patch - at least that's what we tell the neighbours! No, but seriously, nettle is a family favourite and king prawn & nettle carbonara is a spring staple here at The Herb Farm. Nettle makes a great ingredient for herbal teas, and is full of goodness... and, no, it doesn't make a "sting-y" tea! Although we do advise caution when harvesting...
The head gardener at The Herb Farm is Frankie, aged 7, who you can see getting stuck in in the photos below. Without his hard work, none of this would be possible. He is assisted by two cats, Nala and Gerty. Nala is named after Simba's girlfriend in the Lion King. Gerty is named after Saint Gertrude, the patron saint of cats!
