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Home-grown herbs will bring your cooking to life, so why not make life really easy by planting them in a window box? Position it on your kitchen windowsill, then all you have to do is lean out to snip fresh pickings of fresh, home-grown herbs

Most herbs originate in hot, dry climates and dislike our cold, wet winters. Growing them in pots is therefore perfect because they can be brought under cover for the winter. Serrated-leaved lavender is an attractive alternative to ordinary lavender

Herbs make the perfect partners to vegetables, whether they're eaten raw, roasted, boiled, mashed or fried. Mint is delicious cooked or raw, with root vegetables, in salads or dressings and marinades. Chives, with their mild onion flavour, are very

Surround your roses with strongly scented companion plants, such as lavender, thyme, rue and garlic chives, to help keep aphids at bay. While gardeners are attracted by their beauty, rose pests are deterred by the herbs' strong scents. March - April

Monty Don shows how to plant the herbs, peppermint and thyme in pots, with advice on watering, drainage and when to prune.springMore advice on growing herbsPicking herbsRaising new mint plantsGrowing basil from seedPlanting herbs in a window box

Learn how to build a raised bed by following Monty and Chris's step-by-step video demonstration, with information on the benefits of for those with heavy soil or poor drainage.all-year-roundMore garden DIY projectsMore on building raised beds

on the underside of leaves. Destroy plants if you find it.Advice on growing and harvesting herbsWatch Carol Klein planting herbs in a window box in her video guideGrowing peppermint and thyme in a container, with Monty Don at BerryfieldsTips on picking herbs

Basil is an easy herb to grow, and does well on a warm, sunny window sill. After about five weeks, the seeds will be ready for pricking out. You can keep basil plants indoors all summer, or transplant them outside in late-May. Basil seeds

with the hose.roses, dahlias, fuchsias, lavender, rosemary and many garden plantsspring, summer, autumnMore common garden pestsCapsid bugsEuonymous scalePhormium mealybugScale insects

Monty demonstrates how to plant autumn-fruiting raspberries, and offers tips on soil preparation, planting depth and spacing. October-NovemberMore on growing raspberriesHow to enjoy a long raspberry seasonVideo advice ongrowing raspberries for summerVideo guide to growing summer-...