I have been waiting so long to own one. Last evening when I stopped at the nursery I saw these one sale, so picked one up. Volunteer basil plants from last years' plants are now adorning it.
Although it looks very cute and would look lovely indoors when the weather gets cold, it is a bit of an odd feeling trying to plant it. And watering it causes more than the usual share of mud in the tray.
Anyway can't wait to see these guys thrive. I hope they thrive!
Remember my herb garden?
Well, it was extremely productive this year. Almost every basil seed I planted has been productive -- some of them a little less so than the others. I have already made three batches of pesto and just harvested a whole zip lock bagful to freeze for later. Should I make basil ice-cream? It seems to be everywhere these days!
The methi (fenugreek) on the other hand, I mostly forgot about, until I could smell its fragrance every time passed by. When I realized why it was, it was already too late. The plants had bolted and started to make seeds!
And this is what I harvested in the end. I have decided to let all the plants go to seed and harvest them for the next round of sowing!
I harvested my first batch of methi (fenugreek, vendhayam) leaves for my methi omelette today. I did not get much out of it, just two hands full. Normally I like to have a whole bunch for to omelettes. But nipping off the tips will probably make these guys grow bushier.
Methi -- two weeks ago.
The basil is also looking good, although it will probably be a while before I have enough for batch of pesto. Here is a "file photo" of the basil from a couple of weeks ago.
What seems like an early start to spring just means that things that are not normally blooming at this time of the year have already started to bloom.
The magnolia is already beginning to shed its flowers
But I did manage to snap up a few pics before its all gone
Not bad for a phone camera huh?
The hyacinths have been in bloom for a bit now. In fact they were the first ones to make an appearance. Nothing like these happy white faces to cheer you up.
I even had one planted right by the front door and I remember being so surprised when I saw it bloom.
I like this for its clean simplicity
I brought more of the other guys in as well and added some pebbles in the vase so the petals wont touch the water
Not quite as pristine as the first one, but the fragrance more than makes up for it
I think aesthetically, some black and white pebbles and those white flowers only would have looked a lot more striking.
Meanwhile on the seedling front, the methis (fenugreeks) were all ready for a transplant.
9 green methis, happy in a pot! One green methi accidentally flops!
The thyme surprised me with the speed with which they have germinated. No real leaves yet, though
The little army of thymes!
The basil is making larger and larger cotyledonous leaves but no true leaves yet.
Basil in the plastic egg carton
Samiyaar and his pet (yes, he has a pet) watch all this action from the comfort of their favorite ring side seat!
And the over wintering elephant ears are begging to join the party!
Can we please, please go out too?
But I am not sure that there wont be a surprise winter storm, so I am not letting them out yet!
Even before a week was fully over, my kitchen garden (see here for how I started it not even a week ago) was off to a good start. The methi (fenugreek, vendhayam) seeds seem to be only too eager to poke its head out. More so than even me, whooda thunk that!
And this one is so hyped up, it's even got a hat on, for the party!
Where are the coriander (cilantro, kothamalli)?
The basil seeds just look bluish and plump and rather cute-ish in that time. Blogger for some reason wasn't "seeing" my photos from the phone. Now, there are teeny little white thingies from the basil seeds, so I am guessing they are a success too.
Of course, this means, one has to sow more seeds. So, in went the lupines and the thyme. I hope my thyme blooms, because that is the main reason I am buying them. The lupines typically don't flower in the first year, however, they have the cutest set of leaves and are not eaten by the groundhog!
This year I also bought black-eyed susan, cat mint and blue fescue. When I went to store these seeds until I get the chance to plant them, I discovered identical packets of seeds from 2009. And a lot of other seeds that I apparently never had the chance to plant!! Oh well! Turns out that although black-eyed susans are deer resistant they are groundhog candy!! Sigh!!
Can't wait until I clear out the "feet" of the birch and till that soil a bit. If I get around to doing that I plan on direct sowing the blue fescue..
There is a saying in Tamizh that gets abbreviated to the phrase "pregnancy resolution" which is meant to be any resolution that is broken almost as soon as it is made. The story behind this goes something like this. Every pregnant woman (apparently in my mother's generation and/or earlier) would exclaim, in the throes of labour, that she would never again get pregnant. Given that it was common in my mother's mother's generation for couples to have 10 kids, obviously the resolution was not honored. Similarly at the end of every back breaking effort of starting plants from seeds, I promise myself "never again". And every now and then I break that promise.
Egg Carton Green Houses to the right
So, I broke the promise once more today. But for the first time in my life I am trying to start a herb garden. Don't blame me, the "I can't believe it's not spring, winter" made me do it!! Old egg cartons have been turned into miniature green houses, along with teeny bio-degradable pots, which can directly go in the soil once the seedling are strong enough to transplant. The only room with a south facing window has been turned into a plant nursery. Again!
Each of these guys contain an indeterminate number of coriander, fenugreek or basil seeds!
If all goes well, I will have a forest of organic basil from which to make pesto whenever I choose and whole bunch of fenugreek leaves for my omelettes!
Larger "green house" made out of two $0.99 pot dishes
Let's hope these guys survive me and the circus that I call my family and the eternal groundhogs under the deck!
