I am not super talented in the garden. When I tried tomatoes, they got infested with ugly white bugs. My zucchini and beans never grew more than an inch tall. My flowers historically wilt within two days of planting. It's like they're afraid of me or something.
 |
| Oregano and basil |
 |
| Mint |
I planted my spring herb garden last week and it's growing already! Loads of basil (but of course), some parsley and cilantro, lots of thyme and oregano, and a bit of sage, chive, mint, tarragon and rosemary.
 |
| Some more oregano |
If you have never planted your own herbs, I encourage you to do it. Pronto. It's super simple and will save you loads of money all season long. Just buy a few containers (you can even use super large cans, if you wash them well and puncture a few holes on bottom), a bag or two of potting soil, and some small plants of your favorite herbs. (You can start herbs from seed, if you're ambitious, but I prefer to buy the small plants for a head start.) You should be able to get everything you need at Home Depot, Lowes or a gardening center.
 |
| Thyme (foreground) |
Fill a pot with soil, use a small shovel to carve out a hole for the plant, and plop it in. You can plant a couple of different herbs in the larger pots, or - if you're using smaller pots - one plant per pot. Cover the base of the plant with some more soil, and water well. Put it in a sunny spot and water daily, unless it rains. That's all. Really.
 |
| Tarragon in the foreground; sage and cilantro in the background |
Once your plants starts growing, start clipping them and using the herbs!
This week on Eat. Live. Be, we're talking about staying within budget while eating healthy. This is one of my best strategies. Herbs add flavor to my food without calories. And once you've invested in the containers and soil, the annual investment is small ($30-40 for a LOT of herbs) and pays off quickly.
I am queen of the black thumb!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful herbs. I need to plant some as soon as possible...to brighten my porch and lighten my grocery bill :)
ReplyDeleteSounds just like my garden! Our vegetables are notoriously fickle and largely unsuccessful, but we've been able to cultivate a very happy patch of mint, parsley, basil, chives, lemon balm, even stevia, with no problem at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible in the garden, but you've convinced me that even *I* can grow some herbs. We're headed to Lowe's tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThis is sounding an awful lot like a Simon and Garfunkel song.
ReplyDeleteYeah- your garden is looking so good! I do alot of my herbs in pots too! I like that I can control exactly the type of soil they are using.
ReplyDeleteAren't herb gardens a lot of fun...yours looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love growing my own herbs in pots and containers. Your herbs look great, and remind me it's time to get planting!
ReplyDeleteThose herbs are just gorgeous!!! I've been wanting to do some herbs around here, but haven't bought anything yet. Your photos are inspiring. :) Thanks for the visit today. :)
ReplyDeleteI started growing my own herbs, last year and loved the results. I was surprised when they came up, on their own, this year so here I go again.
ReplyDeleteI love having fresh herbs at my fingertips! Buying them is so expensive. Your pots are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI love growing herbs! Using pots is a great idea because it keeps the more aggressive herbs from taking over. I have never had success with pots, though. I need to plant in the ground. I also have the blackest of thumbs, but have grown herbs for years. Rosemary seems to do the best over the long haul, turning into a hardy bush. Thyme does well for a couple of years and seems to burn out and need to be replanted. And mint is the herb that takes over like crazy! Basil needs to be replanted every year, which is a pain, but buying herbs every year for planting is so much cheaper than buying basil from the grocery for the same money and throwing most of it away when it goes bad before you can use it all.
ReplyDeletelove seeing your herbs - I have herbs in pots in our small backyard and they are a joy and a saving though I still buy some herbs but they are expensive to buy so I am always glad when I can find them out the back
ReplyDeleteBeautiful herbs! I picked my first serious handfuls for cooking today-- mint, chives, oregano, sage, and thyme. It's so nice.
ReplyDeleteAre there any herbs I can keep on my windowsill?? I experimented with a basil plant but it died within a few days :(
ReplyDelete