Everything you need to know about growing delicious herbs this autumn by award-winning writer Stephanie Hafferty:
We’re moving into the autumnal months, but there’s still a lot that can be sown and planted. August and September are bit like a second spring. It’s a key time for getting many edibles, including herbs, growing and established before the winter. Unlike actual spring, the days are getting shorter and cooler, which slows down growth, so it really is worthwhile getting everything planted before October, or by mid-September if you live in a cold location.
The key herbs to sow now are parsley, dill, coriander, chervil and basil. These grow fairly quickly and will be a good size before winter. They are fabulous in all kinds of dishes, and also as flavourings in autumnal preserves, pickles and chutneys.
For slower growing herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, winter savory and sorrel, it is better to buy in plants. These can all be planted in the ground if free draining and not liable to flood, or into containers of potting compost such as Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Potting.
An advantage of potted herbs is that they can easily be moved to more sheltered spots if the weather is bonkers this winter (and after this summer, who knows what it’ll be like?!)
I’ll be writing about using these woody herbs, with recipes, in my next Dalefoot Blog in November.
Preserving the summer herb harvest
A key job for August and September in the herb garden is to preserve gorgeous flavours for cooking, teas and more. A simple, traditional way to preserve herbs is to dry them.
Many herbs including lemon verbena, mint and lemon balm are easy to dry: just tie in bunches and hang in a cool, airy space.
More tender herbs including basil, shiso and fennel are best dried on trays or in a dehydrator. In bunches they can go a bit mouldy. The blue plastic crates from greengrocers, lined with clean tea towels, are ideal for this. Spread the herbs out, and place in a dry, airy place out of direct sunlight, such as an airing cupboard. I also dry edible flowers such as calendula and rose petals this way. Check every few days until they are dry.
Dehydrators are an excellent way of drying herbs quickly and thoroughly. Each machine is slightly different, so follow the directions for your dehydrator. Many multi-cookers and air fryers have a dehydrator setting, too.
When the herbs are completely dry, store in clean dry jars in a cool, dark place. Remember to label them!
Sowing seasonal herb seeds
I sow dill, chervil and coriander into module trays filled with Dalefoot Wool Compost for Seeds, mixed with a little fine horticultural grit. Modules are small and the grit helps with drainage. Sow three seeds per module, thinning to the two healthiest when they sprout. Plant out when the seedlings are about 5cm tall.
Parsley is a much slower growing herb, so I sow this in a small seed tray, and prick out into modules when they have sprouted. It is an incredibly useful herb, especially during winter and spring, so I make sure to have plenty of both flat leaf and curly parsley. (Dalefoot Seed Compost is fine in a tray as-is, no need for the grit.)
Basil loves sunshine and warmth, so a British autumn isn’t ideal for this versatile and fragrant herb. Unless you live somewhere warm, it is less likely to produce healthy plants than spring sown basil. Instead, I fill pots with seed or potting compost, sprinkle the seed on top, cover lightly and grow on the windowsills as a cut and come again potted herb. You can do the same with other herb seeds too.
This is a bit like the ones you see in supermarkets. However most (if not all) of those potted herbs are grown in peat, so growing your own in peat free compost is a much more environmentally friendly way of extending the basil growing season.
The shorter days of late summer and early autumn are ideal for growing dill, coriander and chervil, which tends to bolt (go to seed) quickly in summertime. Very hot weather can also trigger bolting, as the plant becomes stressed and goes into “reproduction mode”. We have had a very challenging summer, with multiple heatwaves and barely any rain for most of England and Wales. Hopefully late summer will be a seasonal mix of warmth, sunshine and rain.
The leaves, flowers and seeds of these fragrant herbs are still edible, but I would not recommend saving the seeds from prematurely bolting plants for sowing your next crops. For seed saving, it is better to choose the seeds from plants which have grown healthily and lived their appropriate life span. You can save the seeds to use dried in the kitchen, or to grow micro-leaves.
Growing herb micro-leaves
Micro-leaves can be grown at any time of year, even in the smallest of spaces. It’s a great way to add fresh flavours to meals in the depths of winter. You can also use any veg seeds with edible leaves such as beetroot, all brassicas and spring onions. It’s a marvelous way to use up odds and ends of seed packets that are out of date.
You’ll need:
Trays - seed trays or clean plastic supermarket produce trays, the sort soft fruit come in with holes in the bottom, are ideal
A little multipurpose compost (eg: Dalefoot Wool Compost for Seeds)
or a few sheets of kitchen paper
Herb seed
To grow your micro-leaves
Place about 1cm of compost on the bottom of the trays, or a few sheets of kitchen paper, and water.
Sow the seeds fairly thickly across the compost or paper. No need to cover. Place somewhere warm and light to germinate, such as a greenhouse or windowsill. If you’re growing them indoors, place on a tray to prevent water going everywhere!
Keep the seeds moist using a spray bottle filled with water.
When the seedlings are about 3cm tall, cut with scissors and sprinkle onto dishes, or to make dressings and pesto. You may get a second flush of seedlings germinating, for an extra crop.
Planting and growing parsley, dill, coriander and chervil
Once they are healthy little transplants around 5cm tall, plant the herbs 15cm apart in the garden. They’re ideal for interplanting around established veg too. I pop them in amongst brassicas which will be harvested next spring.
I also grow them in the polytunnel, in between the veg plants there. This helps to ensure a winter-long harvest. An alternative is to make a simple cloche - a sheet of clear polythene over homemade hoops - to protect your herbs when the weather turns cold.
Alternatively, plant into containers filled with potting compost. Ideal for growing in small spaces, balconies, or windowsills. Or outside the back door for winter harvesting without having to traipse up to the allotment!
About Stephanie:
Stephanie Hafferty is an award-winning garden and food writer, expert no dig gardener, homesteader, edible garden designer and inspirational public speaker. She grows at her homestead teaching garden on half an acre in West Wales.
Stephanie writes for national and international publications, and is the author of three books. Her latest book The Productive Garden: An essential guide towards self-sufficiency was published in March 2026 by Frances Lincoln.
Follow her journey on her blog, Instagram and You Tube
Website and blog: www.nodighome.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniehafferty/
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StephanieHaffertyNoDigHomesteading