Italian Herb Seeds for Irish Gardens
Herbs are the cheapest thing you will ever grow and the fastest way to notice the difference between shop bought and homegrown. A supermarket packet of basil costs about the same as a packet of seed that will keep you in basil for a whole summer.
Our herb range comes from Franchi Sementi, the Italian family seed house founded in 1783. These are the varieties Italian kitchens actually use, not generic types with an Italian label.
What grows easily outdoors in Ireland
Parsley, chives, thyme, sage, oregano, rocket, coriander and dill all cope with the Irish climate without any protection. Sow them straight into a bed or a large pot from March through to August. Thyme, sage and oregano are perennials, so one sowing feeds you for several years.
What wants a windowsill or a tunnel
Basil is the one people get wrong. Genovese basil wants warmth and hates a cold wet night, so outdoors in an Irish summer it usually goes yellow and stops. On a bright kitchen windowsill it is easy. Sow a small pot every three weeks from March to August and you will never buy a plastic packet again.
Sowing notes for Ireland
Most herbs need very little soil over the seed. Sow shallowly, keep the surface damp until germination, and resist the urge to overwater afterwards. Mediterranean herbs like thyme, oregano and sage prefer poor, well drained ground. Rich compost and Irish rain together will make them soft and short lived, so a gritty mix and a pot that drains properly beats a rich bed.
Cut herbs regularly rather than letting them flower. Once basil or coriander goes to flower the leaves turn bitter and the plant stops producing. If you are not sure when to start, our when to sow guide sets out the Irish calendar month by month.
Garden to table
Basil and tomato. Parsley through everything. Oregano dried over the winter for pizza and ragù. Rocket raw with olive oil and lemon. This is the part of the garden with the shortest wait between sowing and eating, and it pairs naturally with a bed of Italian salad leaves.
Packets start at €3.50 and delivery is included on orders over €40. All seed is registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and posted by An Post from Co. Longford.