The freaking squirrels dug up my basil that I had sitting outside. For the last two years, it’s been an ongoing battle keeping them out of our plants. My landlord even went so far last summer as to shoot a few of them with his BB gun. I don’t think it instilled a fear in the others, because they went right on with destroying my plants. It frustrates me to no end. Looks like this will be year three of dealing with the trouble-makers. Sigh.
Back to square one. Insert expletive here. 3 weeks ago
My boyfriend’s mom gave us a basil seed starter kit for Easter. I started growing it indoors a few weeks ago. I placed it in our sunniest window and placed a heater nearby, since our apartment is always cold. It worked! This is amazing; I’ve never been able to grow seeds inside, because it’s too cold in here. The heater made the difference. It’s now warm enough that I put the pot outside, and the tiny little shoots are growing more and more each day. They love the warm weather…as do I.
It’s a start. Yay!! 1 month ago
When I started this goal, I wanted a cute little herb garden in neat little pots with labels, like other 43T members have.
Then the ants in the yard killed 2 tomato plants, oregano seedlings and 1 mint plant so I gave up for a while. But while I was feeling discouraged, things kept growing. Now I have a tall basil plant, a chocolate mint plant that doesn’t get very tall because I’m always making tea from it, some chives, some scallions that I sprouted from the leftover root ends of other scallions, some garlic chives, a sprouting cabbage that is growing from the leftover root end of a cabbage I ate, and my ginger plant is still alive after 5 years.
It’s not a perfect herb garden. Some of these plants are technically salad greens. A couple of them are growing from repurposed milk containers with the spout cut off because they outgrew the pots.
But I technically am growing my own edible plants and I have been cooking with them. I haven’t had to buy ginger in 5 years.
So I’m going to give myself credit and call this one done.
I’ll buy better planting pots later and maybe buy additional seeds or plants, but this is a good start. 7 months ago
At least my basil is useable :)
If they are still alive after my vacation, I’ll replace the not-that-great soil with herb soil!
But: They are definitely grown! 9 months ago
The chives look rather poor, the basil keeps growing and the parsley is just starting to catch up! 9 months ago
I have been cutting my herbs often and its just great to smell and taste such freshness. 9 months ago
My basil and oregano are blooming! One has lovely lila flovers, and second – white. I`m so proud of them! :o) 10 months ago
Well, ants killed both of my tomato plants and the oregano sprouts. They ate the leaves and built nests in the soil. Now it’s just me, my ginger, chocolate mint and basil.
Time to buy some new plants and find a natural insecticide that drives out ants and is not toxic to people, since we want to eventually eat these herbs. 10 months ago
