Snipping fresh, homegrown herbs into your cooking – to add “just that little extra something” – is one of life’s domestic joys. It also saves money and is a lot easier than you may think.

Even if you suffer from “plant shame” – a common condition for those who have lost many a foliaged friend under their watch – you can grow herbs and keep them alive. Whether it’s on a windowsill, a balcony or in a garden bed, you can cultivate a supply of fresh herbs year-round, even in the winter months.

The first step is to decide how you will use your herbs. What inspires you? Asian-style cooking lends itself to a water-loving garden of different types of mint. Italian cuisine favours hardy Mediterranean herbs, including oregano and thyme. Or maybe you’d like a tea garden, crushing lemon balm leaves to make a cosy brew. Whatever you choose, planting a herb garden will enrich your kitchen experience.

Get creative

When selecting a container, think outside the pot. Many a container can be repurposed for growing – just punch holes in black plastic lining and throw in some good quality potting mix. An old milk crate, a tiered trolley, an old bookshelf (go vertical!) or hanging pots can all make for great compact gardens.

The main thing to consider is drainage – whatever receptacle holds your herbs, it must offer somewhere for the water to flow and a tray to catch water at the bottom, including hanging pots and windowsill plants.

Which herbs grow when?

Herbs fall into several growth cycles: perennials have a year-round growth season (slowed in winter), annuals have one growth season, and biennials have two growth seasons.

Perennials are forgiving, easy growers that include oregano, thyme and rosemary; they often form the backbone of a herb garden. Annuals and biennials, including coriander, parsley and basil, are usually planted in spring but can easily bolt (flower) during warmer months and be planted in autumn.

The easiest herbs to grow

The easiest herb to grow is spring onion (Allium fistulosum). Simply chop the stem of the spring onion – yes, the ones going limp in your vegie drawer right now – about 10 centimetres above its root and plant directly into a good potting mix. Add some chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) and you have an onion party.

Mints are having a moment, and there’s a wide range beyond common mint (Mentha spicata), which can be used as a sprig in a drink, leaves chopped through a salad or as mint sauce. Consider adding watercress (Nasturtium officinale) for a peppery kick to salads, or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), chocolate mint, spearmint and native river mint for fresh tea.

Special mention goes to Vietnamese mint (Persicaria odorata), which isn’t in the mint family but grows in similar conditions.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is often the cornerstone of a herb garden. I love the prostrate variety because its trailing growth habit means can hang over the edge of a pot and look effortlessly arty. Oregano (Oreganum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and sage (Salvia officinalis) are also easy growers and can be grouped together for that rustic Mediterranean vibe.

Annuals include basil (Ocimum basilicum) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum), while a common biennial is flat-leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum) – aka “the bolters”. They flower in hot temperatures, but autumn can be an excellent time to plant these herbs as the cooler weather gives them a chance to bush-up before flowering.

If you have space, plant trees or shrubs in large pots so you can use the leaves: a sweet bay leaf tree (Laurus nobilis) for Mediterranean dishes, a curry tree (Murraya koenigii) for that authentic flavour in Indian food, and makrut lime (Citrus hystrix) for bright citrus notes in South-East Asian cooking.

How to plant your herb garden

For alliums and mints, if grouping three or four plants together, choose a plastic pot about 30cm in diameter. Alternatively, you can plant each specimen individually in a 10-centimetre pot.

Mint spreads quickly and easily, so the general rule is to plant it somewhere contained, preferably in a shady spot. Mint loves “wet feet”, so add a couple of handfuls of coir peat to a good-quality potting mix to boost the substrate’s water retention capacity.

Mediterranean herbs thrive in full sun and like a porous terracotta pot (add a quarter-part horticultural sand to a good-quality potting mix to improve drainage).

After planting, water the herbs with a diluted seaweed liquid, available from plant shops and Bunnings.

For annuals in cold temperatures, you could make herb “puffer jackets”, where you place bubble wrap around seedlings, creating a warm microclimate.

How to keep your herbs alive

Herbs need six to eight hours of sunlight a day, the right amount of water, and regular feeding with seaweed solution or slow-release fertiliser, which can be sprinkled in the pot.

Most herbs originate in the Mediterranean, so less is more when it comes to watering – a good soak about once a week is often enough (if the soil is dry about three centimetres below the top, give it a drink). If your herb garden is indoors, try to put the plants outside every few weeks for some fresh air. Give them a trim periodically, and if they get too scrappy, replace them.

How to use them

Once established, herbs love to be eaten, so the more you snip them, the better they grow and the bushier the plant becomes.

You can use herbs to add depth at the start of a dish (such as bay leaves fried with onion, celery and carrot) or to add brightness at the end (such as fresh parsley mixed with lemon rind to make gremolata).

To make a tisane (herbal tea), crush or chop fresh leaves such as lemon balm, mint or lemongrass when their flavour is strongest and put six or so leaves in a teapot. Add boiling water, allow the leaves to steep for a few minutes, then – ahh, that’s a good cuppa.