Top 10 Garden Herbs Grow Guide – 1 in 4 Grow herbs in Britain

Herbs are a wonderful part of any container, kitchen or aromatic garden. Offering delicious scents in the garden and edible plants used for culinary, medicine and aromatherapy. These easy-to-grow plants are a great starting point for any new gardener, which is why there's been a rise in the number of people growing herbs here in the UK.

This article has been written in conjunction with Ashridge trees who have undertaken some exciting gardener research showing exactly what herbs people are growing in the UK.

A new study from online plant retailer Ashridge Trees has unearthed a number of facts and figures about the UK’s interest in gardening, nature and all things green. Did you know that 1 in 4 of us here in Britain are growing our own herbs?

• What are the top 10 herbs?
• How to grow herbs from seeds
• Which part of the UK gardens the most?

Interest in gardening in the UK

From a detailed survey of 1,000 UK residents, a majority of 62% of survey participants said they had a current interest in or enjoy gardening as a hobby, with 1 in 5 saying they are “very interested” in it. 18% said that while gardening wasn’t a current hobby of theirs, they might like to try it in the future.

Regionally, Northerners had some of the lowest gardening figures, with a third saying they had no interest in the hobby at all. On the other hand, those in the East have the highest combined interest (those who answered “very” or “somewhat” interested in gardening), at 67%.

Where age is concerned, three-quarters of those over 65 expressed the strongest interest in gardening, but interest diminishes among lower age groups. 67% of respondents aged 55-64 said they were either “very” or “somewhat” interested in the hobby, while only half of those aged between 35-54 said the same.

However, interest picks up again in those aged 25-34, of whom 62% expressed interest in gardening. And when it comes to starting a new hobby in gardening, a quarter of respondents aged 35-44 expressed the strongest interest across all age groups.

Between men and women, women expressed a stronger interest in gardening, with 28% saying they were “very” interested over a lesser 17% of men.

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Time spent amongst nature

When asked how often they spend time amongst outdoor spaces and nature - for instance, in their garden or a local wood or park, 28% of survey participants said that they “very often” spend time amongst nature, while 30% said that it was “quite often” that they would do so.

On the lower end, 15% of survey participants said they rarely or never spend time outdoors.

Regionally, 41% of Welsh residents boast the largest portion of those saying they would “very often” spend time amongst nature, while 1 in 5 Northern residents represent the region with the largest percentage who say they rarely or never spend time outdoors.

Growing herbs to use in cooking

A quarter of respondents (24%) said they are already regularly growing herbs to use in cooking, while a third (29%) said they sometimes do this. In all, this equates to over half (53%) of all UK-based adults growing their own herbs to use in their kitchens.

Growing one’s own herbs for cooking is most popular among those aged 60+, of which 1 in 3 (29%) said they do so regularly, while another third (33%) say they do so “sometimes”.

Overall, over half of all Londoners (57%) are already growing their own herbs, with 32% saying that while they don’t currently do this, they would consider it in the future.

Did you know that you can take my course and learn how to become a Garden Ninja yourself? Click here for details

Revealing Britain’s favourite herbs

The British public have spoken, and the most searched-for herb across the country is sage, closely followed by a joint second position of coriander and fennel. There are a number of joint places in the top 10, with chives, rosemary and thyme taking joint third.

Top 10 Grow Your Own Herbs

Growing your own herbs from seed

The beauty of herbs is that many can be grown from seed on window ledges. So even if you don't have a greenhouse, you can still grow herbs for use in the kitchen and at home. Some of the easiest herbs to grow indoors are Basil, Chives and Parsley by following my seed-sowing guide below.

All you need to grow herbs from seed are:

• Peat free compost
• Seeds of your chosen herb (Basil is a good starter herb)
• A seed tray or selection of small pots (recycling plastic pots is a great idea)
• A plastic bag (to act as a mini humidifier over the pot)
• A window sill

Most seedlings grown in pots indoors will germinate between 7 and 21 days, depending on the herb seeds being grown. Once the herbs have grown four or more leaves, you can then prick them out into individual pots allowing them to grow on. Basil is a great fast germinating herb which can produce around 50 individual potted plants from just one packet of seeds!

For herbs like Lavender or woodier Rosemary is best to use heel or softwood cuttings to help propagate these herbs. It's far faster and gets better results than trying to germinate from seed.

Which area has the greenest fingers in the UK?

While it boasts some truly gorgeous public parks, most London homes aren’t known for their wealth in private garden space. Even so, it turns out that Londoners have quite active green fingers.

61% of survey participants living in London expressed active and current interest in gardening as a hobby or pastime, with 1 in 5 saying they were “very interested” in it. A further 1 in 5 said that while they aren’t currently gardening, they would be interested in picking it up in the future.

What’s more, when asked how often they spend time amongst nature and the outdoors, a quarter of Londoners said that they do so “very often”, while 37% said they do so “quite often”. Across all regions, 9% of those in London ranked lowest for those who said they “rarely” or “never” spent time amongst nature, while 20% of Northerners ranked highest.

Sadly, interest in gardening and the great outdoors seems in dire straits in northern parts of the country. A third of Northern survey respondents said they had no interest in gardening as a hobby - the largest negative response across all regions surveyed.

Similarly, 1 in 5 Northern residents represent the region with the largest percentage who say they rarely or never spend time outdoors.

But spring is fast approaching, and the outdoors will soon be filled with an array of colours and scents - hopefully, much of which will come from your own gardens. Check out Ashridge Trees’ online store to see what you can begin growing this springtime.

Summary

Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow and can breathe life into your cooking and kitchen. You can even plant herbs out into the garden if you run out of space, and they make a great gift for friends too. By growing our own, we can reduce our air miles, grow organically and also diversify into more unusual plants. Not only that, by growing plants is a great mindful activity to help us connect with nature.

I'd love to hear from you below about the types of herbs you grow and any herb-growing tips. So let me know below or on social media.

You can Tweet, Facebook or Instagram me with your growing tips. If you need gardening advice, why not check out my Youtube Gardening guides and subscribe if you haven’t already?

Happy Gardening!

*Data gathered from keyword research using SEMRush, combined with public opinion poll data drawn from YouGov.

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