Herbs

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Confession of my dirty little secret:

The herbs in my garden are ornamental. I don’t use herbs for cooking, crafts or for medicinal purposes. For me, cooking and crafts rate just above dusting on my "what-I-like-to-do scale". I use other substances for medicinal purposes.

That said, I decided to plant herb seeds in fish boxes just to see what I could grow. On May 5, I planted basil and oregano in one box, parsley and lettuce in the other two.

The lettuce was pretty but it never grew to a size that I considered large enough to eat before going to seed.

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The parsley was growing nicely until the rabbits mowed it down. This box has a sprig of lobelia growing at the end. The lobelia seeds must have been in the soil from another year.

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The basil and oregano did well in the fish boxes with pretty shades of green.

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I couldn’t resist free plants from a friend. Lovage, basil pistou, Christmas basil, lime basil, Plow Church Cemetery basil, Spice Island rosemary, summer savory and Mexican mint marigold were planted in a circle on June 24. They’ve grown large and should have had more space.

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The scents are refreshing. I love to run my hand over the plants to release the aroma or pick a twig to carry as I walk around the garden.

One thing I’ve learned from my little herb experiment – herbs are easy to grow. And, if you like to cook, they can be an easy to grow way to fresh flavor.

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