A Guide To Growing Your Own Herbs & Veg At Home

Admit it. There’s nothing more gratifying than noshing down on a layer of garden-fresh, effervescent tomato wedges piled high over a pair of garlicky toast slices, finished with some crisp basil leaves and shavings of red chilli. Sounds thrilling, right? What if I told you that you could have just that, on a regular basis, without having to trek it all the way to your nearest supermarket to pick up the necessary ingredients, and for it to be twice as delicious? Well, Mob, you absolutely can. All it takes is a few teeny-tiny changes in the way you think things through. Leftover tin from the chopped toms you used in last night’s sausage ragù? It’s upcycle time, my friend. Lettuce scraps for that dreamboat of a BLT you made your mates the other weekend? Lather ‘em up and get them watered.

I could go on. But before I do, Mob, you should know that what you’re about to read has been dreamt up with some help from our good friends over at Inch’s Cider, with the aim of providing you guys with a brief guide, if you will, to growing your own. You might be wondering why Inch’s? A) they’re big advocates for locally grown ingredients. Prime example: they only use 100% British apples for their ciders, all grown within 40 miles of their Hereford mill (pretty impressive). And B) their mission is to do the little things right, to make the world a better place. Something here at Mob, we’re really passionate about, too.

Read on for five wickedly-easy tips, tricks and hacks that not only make growing your own a breeze, but also get those sustainable juices flowing. Now, let’s get to it.

We’re kicking things off with an easy one. Save. Those. Tins! No stress if you haven’t got any chopped tom, butter bean or chickpea cans lurking about, any container will do. The more unconventional, the more fun you’re going to have (Inch’s Cider can? G’warn then). Once you’ve cleaned ‘em up, simply pop your favourite herbs in so that they’re nice and snug, and get to work looking after them. If you really want to push the boat out and start from scratch, get your upcycled can and add regular potting soil, poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage and plant your seeds. Et voila, a makeshift herb pot.

Acquired a large sum of fresh herbs that you’re worried you won’t be able to use up in time? Get them in the freezer. Now, I don’t mean just plug the whole bunch in there as-is. A very small amount of hands-on time is needed, I’m afraid (don’t worry, not too much). Simply take a few stems, remove the leaves and dice them up. Then, add them to an ice cube tray, fill each segment with olive oil and pop it in the freezer. These work unbelievably well for pasta dishes, and couldn’t be easier to use — you literally just bung them in a hot pan.

Don’t throw away those off-cuts! Whether it’s lettuce, spuds, celery or carrots, there’s a load of crops you can sprout indoors with ease. Seriously — all you need to do is place the cut-base of the veg face-down in an inch of water, and watch it grow. An enchanting experience, to say the least.

If you’re a fan of herby, tangy salt mixes, then you’re going to be all over this option. Once you’re done using your oven for whatever it might be, take full advantage of that residual heat and pop your herbs on a tray and throw them in. Keep them in there until they’ve turned crunchy and delicious, then scrunch them up and blend them with your favourite salt. Before you know it, you’ve got a portion of your very own ready-to-use herby salt mix. A dream.

Keep those seeds, pits and pulps! The process of regrowing them at home is actually really easy. Sure, it might take them a while to find their feet and produce fruit, but the end-result is pretty mega. Just imagine being able to pick your own delicious, fragrant citrus fruits from the comfort of your own home? To do this, just give them a wash, pop them in a container with drainage holes complete with soil and give it a good water. Once you’ve moistened the soil, place a plastic bag over the top of it to create a greenhouse effect, and shove them in a warm location (refrain from anywhere with direct sunlight). After that, it’s simply a case of waiting for them to sprout. Pretty magical, if you ask us.

Each of these suggestions are pretty small-scale, Mob. We’re not asking you to change everything about the way you do life. Nor are we asking for much. We’re simply recommending you fine-tune those attempts at being sustainable, by doing things like growing your own veg and preserving the lifespan of those favourite herbs of yours. It’s all about making a difference, one pint-sized space at a time.