Things to do this week – Grow Chervil
Chervil is a sweet, aniseed-flavoured herb that is difficult to source fresh because once picked it quickly loses its flavour. You will rarely see it on sale in a supermarket, which means that growing it yourself is probably the only way to access it fresh (and the fresh herb is far superior to the dried version). Unusually it does not need full sun to grow well (in fact it will thrive in semi-shade) so you should be able to grow quite successfully in a flower border or anywhere in your garden that you have some space. Chervil makes a useful addition to soups and salads, and makes a nice dressing, and also aids digestion when made in to a tea. Strong chervil tea will alleviate the discomfort of insect bites, cuts, and eczema when dabbed on the area at regular intervals. It is also seen as useful companion plant, keeping aphids away from lettuce and encouraging plants growing alongside it to grow more vigourously. Try growing it next to radishes, lettuce and broccoli. To grow: sow 5-6 chervil seeds in each module of a module tray indoors. The seedlings will be ready to plant out in about a month.