Along wet summer can make things very difficult for a vegetable grower.

Slugs, weeds, blight and other diseases can really undermine human effort, and this is disheartening for any gardener, but especially for beginners who haven't yet had the experience of better growing seasons.

But even in the worst of growing seasons, there are some sturdy plants that will carry on quite happily. In particular, I'm thinking of herbs. If you're a herb lover, then you'll already know about the mouth-watering variety of these tasty leaves. My favourite way to use herbs is in a salad, where you might find chives, sage, zesty sorrel, rocket, parsley, oregano, salad burnet, lovage, fennel and hop buds, to name just a few. Add some little nasturtium leaves and flowers, and some baby spinach, and you can fill a salad bowl without having to go near anything shop bought. Given the price and environmental cost of supermarket salad bags, this can only be a good thing.

All sorts of herb seeds and plantlets are now widely available, but they can be very pricey, so it's worth looking around the allotments to see if other people are prepared to swap seeds, self-set plants or cuttings. As well as getting plants for free, it's a great way to build a positive allotment community.

For instance, a few weeks back I met up with Joseph, a very knowledgeable Bristol allotmenter. We met on a cycle path as we were waiting to get through one of the swing gates, and (recognising the earthy demeanour of a fellow gardener) we struck up a conversation. The subject turned to large herbs and what a bumper crop they can yield. From this, we talked about lovage – one of my favourite herbs.

In a season, it can grow to a good bushy five or six feet, like a rampant celery, and just a single leaf can add a distinctive savoury note to a salad, sandwich or pasta dish. The flavour has been described as somewhere between celery and yeast extract, and it is very strong, so only ever needs adding in small amounts.

Joseph's best way of using lovage is to make a soup, but I've also heard of gardeners who like to bathe in it to ease tired muscles.

Just one lovage plant can produce enough leafy growth to have plenty fresh, and then some to freeze for use through winter. The young leaves are better for salads, and the older ones for using in cooking. You can also dry the leaves and store in jars for use as a salt alternative, or try a sprinkle of them in a savoury tea.