Fresh herbs & vegetables add real flavour and taste to recipes.

Yes, growing them at home can be really easy and will provide you with fresh ingredients every time.

But, the key is to grow the types you use in recipes and are also not easily available in shops. Giving your meals real unique flavour and reflect your cooking skills.

When growing plants for cooking then I always work on 2 key items:

• How often do I use them
• How easy are they to get

Yes, most of the popular herbs & vegetables are available in shops & supermarkets.

However fresh homegrown herbs will give your recipes a much better taste and are always available.

Genovese basil is one of the most popular herbs in the world, used in many recipes.

But if you buy basil in a shop then you will most likely get either sweet or Genovese basil. (very often called the same, but they have different flavours)

The only way you can guarantee to use the right basil is to grow it at home. How to grow Genovese basil

Cinnamon basil (also known as Mexican spice basil) has a very spicy, fragrant aroma and flavour.

It is ideal for Mexican or South American recipes. (Or as in the picture for cinnamon basil iced tea)

This type of basil is not often available in shops, which is why it’s ideal to grow at home. How to grow Cinnamon basil

Coriander herb (or cilantro) is one of the most popular herbs in the world – used in many different recipes.

Ideal for recipes like Chinese stir-fry, Mexican Salsa, etc

Yes, you can buy it in most shops but it’s very easy to grow at home. And will provide you with a non stop supply of fresh leaves. How to grow leaf coriander

Spearmint is extensively used as an ingredient in recipes which require a delicate minty flavour.

But beware – mint plants are often described as the psychopaths of the plants.

You need to grow them in pots or they will invade everywhere. How to grow spearmint

Rosemary is a key ingredient in many Mediterranean recipes.

The chef’s favourite, ideal for Mediterranean recipes.

It’s lovely to grow at home, as it just keep growing & growing. And you simply cut whatever you need.

When grown at home you have instant supply. How to grow rosemary

Oregano flavour with the heat of a mild chili pepper.

Great for Mexican recipes – or if you want to spice up Italian meals.

It’s not available as an ingredient in shops and great to grow at home. Takes about 2 to 3 months to grow before harvesting. How to grow oregano

French thyme has a very strong thyme flavour, and ideal for stews, soups, meat and fish dishes.

Yes, you can buy it in shops. But growing at home will save you money and you can also freeze it (as in the picture) to have fresh thyme all year long.

How to grow thyme

The Roma tomato is the ideal tomato, with a very nice flavour.

It is in a completely different league from the regular tomatoes sold in shops.

From this site you might notice I grow it a lot, every year, at home. Simple reason is that it makes lovely tasting fresh tomato recipes like passata, tomato sauce, etc.

How to grow Roma tomatoes

They are so pretty !!! A real talking point for visitors.

Very easy to grow and great for adding heat to recipes, like soups, meats and even desserts.

It is also a pepper type used in many different pepper recipes as it has a lovely moderately hot flavour.

How to grow cayenne pepper

Most shops only sell 1 type of garlic – but there are over 600 different varieties of garlic. Each add a different taste & flavour to recipes.

Messidrome is the garlic most often used in French kitchens, ideal for slow cookers.

Well worth growing at home, and you will notice the difference when cooking. How to grow garlic

We have a section called ‘grow your own‘ which covers all the main items & decisions. For example:

• Do you want to grow your plants indoors or outside
• Do you want to grow them using soil or water (hydroponics)
• 4 key tips on the fastest way to grow plants from seed
• etc., etc.

Each option is to follow the links the ‘grow your own‘ section

The list of the 10 Easy Plants every chef should grow is based on popular recipes & meals.

However your own individual tastes and requirements might be different – for example you might like cooking Thai stir fry dishes. In which case Thai basil might be on the list.

The easiest way is to either have a look at our regional recipe ingredients articles or our example recipes

If you have a look at the articles you might notice that in most cases I will grow plants from seed.

Simple reason is that it’s so much cheaper – a packet of seed will generate many plants compared to buying 1 plant, often at a higher price.

However, the advantage of plug plants is that they will grow a lot faster. Very much an individual decision.

1 Tomatoes, 2 Onions, 3. Cucumbers and Gherkins 4 Cabbages and other brassicas, 5 Eggplants/Augergines, 6 Carrots and Turnips, 7 Chillies and Peppers, 8 Lettuce and Chicory, 9 Spinach, 10 Garlic

If you have space (for example an allotment or big garden) then vegetables are great for growing at home.

However, they are usually available in most shops. I designed the list above based on limited space. But if you have space have a look at the fruit & vegetable section and follow advice for individual plants