grow a herb garden

It’s true! We have installed the automatic watering system, and we can go away on vacation without worrying about the plants and the herbs!!!

There are lots of nerve-wrecking details about how this was accomplished, but the most important thing is it’s finished!

The 4th basil pot is dried out, but I have bought seeds and will plant them when we return from vacation!

Over the past weeks I’ve been buying basil in pots from various vendors. I now have 4 of them.
3 are of a flat-leaf variety, and have been doing outstandingly well.
The fourth pot doesn’t look so well. The farmer who planted it for me said to keep it indoors (away from the sun) for a week watering it daily, and then put it outside on the balcony (away from direct sunlight) and water every other day.
Although I’m following his instructions, I must be doing something wrong, because of the 3 sprigs one has lost all its leaves and the other two are barely alive.
We’ll see.

...on the automatic watering system.
My bil recently installed one and tells me there’s nothing to it, but I find the whole idea intimidating!
Next week is my deadline to go ahead and just do it!

I already have a herb garden.
I have mint, spearmint, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, apple geranium, lavender, and lemon verbena (plus a little chives).
And I use most of my herbs, both for cooking and for other uses.

Most of my herbs hold well all year round, with the exception of basil that dies on me every year around Christmas.

What I want to do differently is plant basil seeds all year round and keep them at my window sill, so that I have fresh basil all the time.
It seems impossible to make the perfect tomato sauce without a snip or two of fresh basil…

I also want to install an automatic watering system, so that I don’t have to worry about my herbs in the summer, when days are hot, and we’re away on vacation.