THERE'S a real buzz around The Journal allotment this month. And not just because everything is greening-up nicely.

No, the real reason is that the plot in Gibside’s walled kitchen garden has become a firm favourite with nature’s most important insect pollinator: bees.

The current focus of their attention is the crowded heads of purply-pink chive flowers. The bumble bees especially can’t seem to get enough of them.

Both the bees and the chive blooms are a welcome addition to the garden, providing a splash of late spring colour at a time when things are still fairly quiet on the fruit and vegetable front.

The carrots under their protective fleece covering are in the early stages of their development; the first small, hard green strawberries have begun to show but are far from being edible; the potatoes are bushing up but not ready to crop; the French beans are still getting used to being outside while the salad (radishes, mixed rocket lettuce and spring onions) aren’t quite ready for picking.

The runner beans are all still in the cold frame as the process of hardening off (acclimatising them to life outdoors) begins, while the butternut squash and leeks have yet to venture outside the greenhouse.

But all will be planted out by the end of June as the threat of damaging frosts diminishes. And it won’t be long before the first of the peas – playing piggy in the middle between the French and runner beans – will be ready for harvesting.

While there is plenty to do in the 9m x 4m Journal garden – it’s not just the vegetables that thrive in the warmer weather, so do the weeds which can be harbingers of plant disease and drink up precious water – it is still a time of anticipation of the (hopefully) rich pickings to come.

That’s why it is nice to include a selection of commonly used kitchen herbs in any planting plan.

They are easy to grow, mature early and are an essential culinary ingredient – even though we tend to take them for granted. Minted peas and new potatoes are one of summer’s great food pleasures. Salads are greatly enhanced by the addition of a handful of snipped chives. Coriander is the perfect accompaniment to new baby carrots. Rosemary goes well with new-season lamb, while basil will enrich pasta and fish.

There’s a healthy array of herbs in The Journal patch. The bottom end is home to the chives, parsley and golden marjoram (a great favourite in Greek, Italian and Mexican cooking where its warm aromatic flavour can greatly improve dishes containing garlic and chilli).

There’s also rosemary, sage, thyme and mint. You need to be careful with the latter. Gibside’s community kitchen gardener Sue Adamson explains: “It has a tendency to run amok. It will take over your garden if you let it.

“I always recommend the mint is in a large pot with good drainage holes in the bottom and then sunk into the ground. That will help to confine it.”

Sue is a great fan of herbs both for their aesthetic appeal and multitude of gastronomic uses. “Herbs don’t just look good, they smell good, taste good and the beneficial insects love them. And anyone, even if the only space they have is a windowsill or small back yard can grow them. The success is in the planning and making sure you create the right conditions.

“Mediterranean herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme, like sunny, dry situations and will grow quite happily in a window box. Mint prefers to be damp with a little more shade. Most herbs can be grown in small containers or window boxes.”

The seeds should be sown in spring or early summer, so now is an ideal time, and most herbs can be grown successfully in the open, although basil and coriander are best treated as annuals outdoors or grown in a pot on the kitchen windowsill.

The last two winters at Gibside hit the rosemary and lavender hard. Sue is planting new rosemary plants, however, and says: “I’ll take cuttings this year, before the winter, for insurance.”

But The Journal allotment is proof of nature’s resilience and riches. And with the worst of the frosts now behind us, Sue says it is safe to begin transferring even tender plants outside for good once they have been hardened off.

“The foliage of plants that have been reared inside is very soft and it is important they are hardened off before being planted out otherwise they risk taking a bit of a set-back. Hardening off can be done in one of two ways: either in a cold frame where you can simply lift the glass up and down or by putting the plants out during the day and bringing them in at night. This needs to be done for about 10 days before putting the plants outside in a sheltered spot over a few nights. They will then be ready to plant out.”

The bees that favour The Journal plot can be assured of plenty of flora and fauna to attract their attention over the coming months.

See The Journal allotment for yourself at Gibside, near Rowlands Gill, Burnopfield, Gateshead, NE16 6BG, 01207 541 820, www.national trust.org.uk/gibside. Open daily 10am-6pm.

June 18: Seasonal Gardener’s Walk, 2.30pm-3.45pm. Discover what’s new in the garden this month - from blooming plants to growing tips - and the latest progress on restoring Gibside’s Shrubbery Walk to its 18th Century glory. Free event. Normal admissions charges apply.

Plant the runner beans outside when all danger of frost has passed

Sow the fourth row of carrots

Sow salad crops outside in small amounts

Plant out butternut squash

Plant out leeks

Harvest peas