Your complete guide to homegrown herbs: M to P

These herbs are frequently used in cooking and gardening. Here's how to get the most with each harvest of mint through parsley.

• Mint is a popular herb used in a wide range of dishes, including sauces, jellies and salads.
• There are many individual varieties, each with their own specific flavours.
• The foliage varies in colour and shape depending on variety.
• The flowers may be white, lilac or purple.
• A rich soil and moist conditions are essential for growing mint.
• Most mints are invasive and will swamp other plants if not restricted in some way.
• An attractive answer to this problem is to grow the plant in a pot.

• Oregano, sometimes called wild marjoram, is one of the most popular culinary herbs.
• It's favoured in Greek and Italian cooking.
• The plant is a strongly fragrant perennial that grows to 60 centimetres in height.
• Oregano is also noted for its bright green, coarse-textured foliage and tiny white flowers.
• Oregano prefers full sun, although it can also tolerate a little shade.
• The soil should be light and well drained.
• Harvest as required and eat the foliage and flowers fresh. The flowers have an even more intense flavour than the foliage.
• At the end of the summer, the whole plant can be cut back almost to ground level.
• Hang in bunches to dry and store in an airtight container.

• Parsley is a biennial often grown as an annual, forming a small to medium size leafy clump that's grown from seed.
• There are several varieties, including Italian parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum).
• Parsley leaves have a high nutritional value, containing useful amounts of vitamin C and iron.
• Generally, it's added at the last minute to hot dishes or salads.
• Parsley requires a sunny, open position and well-drained but rich, moist soil.
• Add plenty of organic matter before planting and water well in summer.
• Pick regularly to prevent flowering.
• When harvesting, pick the outermost stems at their bases.

Growing herbs usually requires little more than regular attention. Keep an eye on their development and encourage the growth of the useful parts. If you do, you could be using fresh herbs much more regularly.