I have never grown things, unless you count mold in the refrigerator. But I’ve been wanting to try herb gardening on my wee balcony, and today I finally took the plunge. After being completely overwhelmed at a local nursery, I headed over to Armstrong Garden Center (thanks for the rec, Greg!) where I found a woman willing to walk me through the basics. She helped me pick out herbs and pots, told me how to replant them, talked to me about drainage and fertilizer and pest control.
Here, in their repotted glory, are my new herbs:
(I ran out of soil on the basil. Sorry, basil!)
The bad news is that the pots ended up being too tall for the cheap IKEA gardening shelf I’d acquired, so I will have to find shallower plants for that. I would also like to find an affordable way to raise these herb pots up three or four feet so they help block my view of the street. Suggestions welcome.
So, who wants to guess the plants? I think they’re all pretty obvious except maybe the one on the right.
Drainage, fertilizer, and pest control? Okay, you have just become my designated expert.
I’m fairly certain I will over-water all of them and they’ll be dead within a month. You may want to reconsider.
cinder blocks and wooden planks are your friend. you can work them like leggos, and you can paint them. ;)
You, my friend, are a genius! I haven’t used the ol’ cinder block-and-plank technique since college and had totally forgotten about it.
The one on the far right would be catnip, I think.
You are correct, sir! Couldn’t leave my little furry dudes out of the herb fun.
Catnip, rosemary, chives, basil, something and oregano?
The “something” is dill, and the one on the far left is yerba buena — mint!
Ah, mint. I have started throwing fresh dill into my salads. Very tasty addition, especially with yogurt-based dressings.
I love dill — I love eating it by itself sometimes, too.
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