This week the contestants renovated their kitchens, so for the first time on The Block 2012 they have somewhere to cook and prepare healthy meals. Why not liven up your favourite dishes by adding some of your own home-grown herbs?

For more information about how to grow your own herbs, download our Mitre Plan project planner here.

Dill

Wonderful with potato and egg dishes. Used in sauces, dill has a slight aniseed flavour. Best grown from seed, directly into the ground, as it often does not transplant well. Approx 90cm.

Chives

A great all-rounder herb with a mild onion taste that adds flavour to many dishes. Fresh chives makes a great herb bread, try mixing with other herbs too. Sensational in omelettes. Approx 40cm.

Coriander

Now a very popular herb. Pungent flavour, essential for many Asian dishes like soups and curries. Harvest often and replant successively to ensure more continuous cropping. Approx 50cm.

Mint

Happily grows in shady spots and prefers moist conditions. Available in different flavoured varieties like spearmint, applemint, peppermint. Great for mint sauces, jellies, Asian cuisine and fruit drinks.

Oregano

So easy to grow, it has a distinctive flavour suited to Italian and Spanish dishes. It's perfect to add to tomato based dishes, but it is also wonderful with roast potatoes and olive oil. Approx 30cm.

Basil

Grows easily in sun or light shade. A popular herb, the basis for pesto and an addition to many Mediterranean styled dishes. Approx 40cm high.

Parsley

Available in a flat or curly leaf, one of the most popular herbs ever. Easy to grow, it looks great as a border in the herb or veggie patch. Aprox 30cm tall.

Rosemary

A hardy, perennial, decorative mainstay of any herb collection. The pungent foliage is used in many dishes and is particularly sensational with potatoes. Between 50cm and 1.5m high, depending on variety.

Thyme

Wonderful in stuffings, dressings and for roasting with vegetables. Available in different flavours! There's even one called pizza thyme for flavouring pizzas! Approx 20cm high.

Sage

An attractive grey foliaged herb. Popular in stuffings and well suited to many pasta sauces. Try pasta with pumpkin, sage and cream sauce. Approx 50cm high.

Mighty helpful hints for your herb garden

• Your herb garden should, at the very least, receive 6 hours of sun a day.
• When planting out your herbs, leave adequate space between them for future growth.
• Don't use tiny pots to grow your herbs in. Larger pots are better as they hold more moisture and nutrients
• Taking fresh looking tips from the herbs is the best way to stimulate new growth.
• You can store herbs easily in the freezer — just rinse, shake off excess water, and pop into cling film or a glass jar.
• Watch out for creeping, running or vigorous herbs that will take over the garden or planter.

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