🪴 Herb Garden
Twelve herbs in one raised bed, sown or planted in mid-April. Slide through two years to see how fast each one grows, when it is ready to pick, when it flowers, and which come back after winter.
The bed
15 AprilSowing day
Loading the garden… It needs JavaScript and WebGL; the table below has every figure.
Drag to walk round the bed; pick a herb to follow it. The ruler at the back is two metres. Press play to watch two years pass in half a minute.
How tall, and when
| Herb | Starts as | First picking | 1 month | 3 months | 6 months | 1 year | 15 months | 2 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BasilTender annual
|
Sown on a sunny windowsill, planted out in June | Week 11 | 6 cm Seedling | 34 cm Ready to pick | 48 cm Flowering | — Finished | — Finished | — Finished |
 CorianderHardy annual
|
Sown where it is to grow | Week 6 | 12 cm Seedling | 60 cm Flowering | — Finished | — Finished | — Finished | — Finished |
 ParsleyBiennial
|
Sown where it is to grow (slow to come up) | Week 12 | 2 cm Seedling | 25 cm Ready to pick | 30 cm Ready to pick | 31 cm Ready to pick | 90 cm Flowering | — Finished |
 DillHardy annual
|
Sown where it is to grow | Week 9 | 14 cm Seedling | 91 cm Flowering | — Finished | — Finished | — Finished | — Finished |
 ChivesHardy perennial
|
Sown where it is to grow | Week 11 | 6 cm Seedling | 25 cm Ready to pick | 30 cm Ready to pick | 25 cm Growing | 35 cm Ready to pick | 20 cm Growing |
 MintHardy perennial
|
Planted as a rooted runner | Week 9 | 15 cm Planted out | 44 cm Ready to pick | 44 cm Ready to pick | 28 cm Growing | 58 cm Ready to pick | 15 cm Dormant below ground |
 ThymeEvergreen sub-shrub
|
Planted as a small rooted cutting | Week 16 | 8 cm Planted out | 13 cm Growing | 15 cm Ready to pick | 18 cm Growing | 22 cm Ready to pick | 25 cm Growing |
 RosemaryEvergreen shrub
|
Planted as a small rooted cutting | Month 6 | 13 cm Planted out | 20 cm Growing | 30 cm Ready to pick | 40 cm Growing | 49 cm Ready to pick | 70 cm Growing |
 SageEvergreen sub-shrub
|
Planted as a small rooted cutting | Week 13 | 12 cm Planted out | 25 cm Ready to pick | 35 cm Ready to pick | 44 cm Growing | 58 cm Flowering | 65 cm Resting over winter |
 OreganoHardy perennial
|
Sown where it is to grow | Week 13 | 4 cm Seedling | 20 cm Ready to pick | 19 cm Flowering | 13 cm Growing | 45 cm Flowering | 15 cm Resting over winter |
 LovageHardy perennial
|
Planted as a young plant | Month 4 | 25 cm Planted out | 56 cm Growing | 42 cm Ready to pick | 75 cm Growing | 200 cm Flowering | 40 cm Dormant below ground |
 BayEvergreen tree
|
Planted as a young potted tree | Month 6 | 21 cm Planted out | 25 cm Planted out | 30 cm Ready to pick | 32 cm Growing | 40 cm Growing | 50 cm Resting over winter |
Heights are for a sunny, well-drained bed in a temperate climate, roughly southern England, with
the herbs picked lightly. Variety, weather and how hard you harvest all change them a great
deal. See planning a herb garden
and annual and perennial herbs.