Hey there friends, what have you all been up to now that May is in the home stretch? We're continuing to plough through home renovations, and we are bidding adieu to the play structure from our backyard, in hopes of having a longer ice rink in the backyard next winter. I had a photo shoot for a beautiful newborn which you'll see a peek of on Photo Finish soon. And Personally Junior and I planted a container herb garden.
If you saw the complete lack of living greenery inside my house and the minimal gardens (that's being diplomatic) outside you would know that I am no green thumb or professional gardener by any means. But still I love to have some fresh dill for grilled fish or cucumber salad, or rosemary in roasted potatoes, and mint in my iced tea. And last year I found this salad recipe which we all loved that uses fresh thyme. It's not hard to manage. If I can do it you can too.
I've kept a container herb garden for many years. I love it in containers since it can sit in a sunny spot outside your kitchen door and close to the barbeque. One of your little kitchen minions can be sent out with a pair of scissors and a measuring cup to collect up what you need for cooking. Also a container garden is a great project for kids to be involved in. I've always had one of them do it with me, from choosing the herbs to planting and maintaining them, then using them in the kitchen. There's a lot to be learned from seeing a little garden space through to the end. I'm sure many of you do an even better and more generous job of it with your kids, but why not start with whatever you can manage.
Any kind of container you have will do if you prepare it well with drainage at the bottom as you would any container planting. I've used half-wine barrels, concrete bowls, small flowerpots, old watering cans... Here's even an idea for a single herb plant in a pot as a thank-you gift. Recently I seem to have a collection of old urns that have lost the right to sit by my front door, but are still practical and fine for the backyard. Let's call it patina.
Even if you're re-using your containers like I am you need to replenish the soil with at least a third new container potting soil. Here's a method I learned from Frankie Flowers who is our guru of all things gardening here in Canada. You empty out all your new soil onto your driveway or patio or onto a tarp...or into a wheelbarrow for a smaller amount... add your fertilizer (I use Once & Done from C-I-L) and completely water it down and mix it till it can't hold any more water. Then your new plants will have a great start, your soil will pack down nicely right away and you'll be ahead of the game with your watering.
Then plant away! You may already know, but if you're doing mint then definitely plant it in a pot. If you plant it in the ground it will take over your life. Maybe exaggerating. Or not. Otherwise follow the instructions for spacing on the plant tags and find your containers a nice sunny and convenient to the kitchen spot. Easy-peasy. It's also nice to exchange the plastic greenhouse tags with something prettier. I have this set that I got for Mother's Day once, but this year I need a few more for the mint, parsley and dill, so I've been pinning some DIY garden markers to Pinterest for some ideas.
And then at dinner-time your little minion can learn how to make iced tea from scratch so that he has a reason to go out and pick some of the chocolate mint he planted. And learn how to muddle it into the bottom of the glass and serve up a very delicious beverage. Many life skills to be learned from gardening, might as well start them out young. Cheers.
linking to the diy dreamer, thoughts from alice, the happy housie, fishtail cottage, joy in our home