Herb Gardening 101

I’m not very good at growing things.  My cats make growing things inside impossible and my lack of motivation makes growing things outside difficult.  However, one of the farmer’s at our local market sells fresh herbs ready for planting and they call to me every week.  I admit, I also feel a little guilty that she has nothing I want to buy.  

After thinking, talking, and a bit of research, I decided that I was going to give herb gardening in outside pots a try.  I quickly found out that I’d need more than just one huge pot, so I opted to get smaller ones and keep my herbs separated from each other.  

Since our market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, I stopped by today to buy some plants.  While the farmer who sells herbs on Saturdays wasn’t there, another farmer had a smaller selection.  Although I’m a bit sad I couldn’t buy 50 different herbs all at once, it’s probably a good thing that, for this initial stage of the experiment, I was limited to basil, parsley, and some hot peppers.  Sold in 4-packs, I picked up two basils, two parsleys, and one each of serrano and jalapeño.  

On the way home, I stopped by the local Lowes to get 3 12” pots, soil, and some rocks for better drainage.  The plants totaled about $6.  The supplies were quite a bit more!  

The landscaping in my back yard has some tiers and I easily found some empty space on the lowest tier to place my pots.  This has the tops of the pots at about waist height, which will make harvesting easier for my knees and back.  They’re about 15 feet away from my kitchen, which should increase the likelihood that I’ll remember to use them and care for them on a regular basis.  

I put some a few inches of rocks in each pot, filled them most of the way up with soil, and them smooshed the plants into them, patting down the dirt afterward.  

Here’s hoping that nothing dies and I’ve got delicious herbs throughout the growing months!  I’m sure I’ll be adding to my burgeoning garden in weeks to come as I fail to resist the calls of sage, thyme, oregano, mint, cilantro, chives… and so many more.