Indoor herb garden

[jay-ell]

Somebody here *has* to know something about gardening, right?

I want to grow a couple of herbs on my kitchen window ledge for use in cooking. I tried to grow basil from one of those dollar grow kits, but I think I drowned it or something because they've been up there for 2 weeks and they haven't sprouted. (My son's marigold pot is doing great, though.)

I'm thinking basil, chives, and parsley would be awesome to have. The windowsill gets a fair amount of sun in the afternoon, but I'm willing to invest in a grow light if I need one. Mostly I just want to be able to make pesto for two from fresh basil, mmm yummygood. And I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble to grow parsley and basil, I may as well throw some chives in there too - I grew chives once before, and they're really easy and tasty as garnish or in cream cheese spreads.

I have about 36 inches of linear space, and the ledge is about 3" wide, so I whatever I put up there has to be arranged in a single row.

Any advice?

[Carlos del Vaca]

You may be able to grow something on the windowsill, but it won't be anywhere close to what you can produce outside.  If you want enough basil to make pesto, you're going to need a medium-sized container in a spot that gets good sun most of the day.  Is that an option for you?

[jay-ell]

You may be able to grow something on the windowsill, but it won't be anywhere close to what you can produce outside.  If you want enough basil to make pesto, you're going to need a medium-sized container in a spot that gets good sun most of the day.  Is that an option for you?

I can grow stuff on the back deck in the spring/summer/fall, but I'm definitely too lazy to put anything in the ground.

[AugustWest]

Yeah, a 3" wide ledge probably isn't going to be able to hold a pot big enough to grow useful amounts of herbs.

[wombat]

Growing in the ground is not more work than growing in pots. In fact, growing in pots is more work. For one thing, the ground is already made of dirt - you don't have to buy dirt and pots and combine the two. For another, pots dry out faster than the ground, so you need to water more often.

I have always thought that there is actually nothing more lovely than an outdoor porch full of potted plants and it's even more glorious to have potted plants on an outdoor patio in the middle of a garden. Part of the reason for this is that such a display represents a huge amount of work. It's almost decadent, because it gives the impression that someone must have a gardener doing the manual labor.

In other news: at this time of year you can buy herb seedlings cheap. If you are not really into gardening, don't bother trying to grow from seed. You are going to save maybe a few bucks if you are successful, but if you are not experienced or that interested, you are unlikely to be successful.

In short: Buy some seedlings and stick them in the ground.

[Asherdan]

In short: Buy some seedlings and stick them in the ground.

I like this message and support its conclusions.

That's how our basil and tomato plants got their start this year. Strawberries, as well.

[Carlos del Vaca]

In short: Buy some seedlings and stick them in the ground.

QFT.  Go to farmers' markets and shop around.  Some stands will try to sell you seedlings for $5 each, but you can probably find someone who will sell them for $2 each or 3 for $5.  They've done the hard part already.

Dig a hole big enough to fit the whole root ball in and then some.  Pop the plant out of the container, then into the hole, and fill in around it with garden soil.  Give it a good watering to get it started.

After that, you probably just need to water every couple-three days if it doesn't rain.

My garden this year:  a whole mess of leafy greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard), tomatoes, serrano pepper, zukes, cukes, a whole lot of onions, green onions, leeks, carrots.  Radishes have already come and gone.  And in containers, basil, sage, and thyme.

How nice is it to be able to go out in the back yard and pick yourself a salad?  Real nice, I tell you.

[jay-ell]

In my old house, I had abut the same amount of space (maybe a little less) and I managed to have an aloe plant and a little tray of chives for a while. I chucked the aloe plant when it threatened to take over my kitchen sink.

So, if I wanted to grow this stuff on the back deck or patio, would they survive all winter? If I have just a few pots I could bring them in to the laundry room for the winter, but they wouldn't get any sun there.

I literally know virtually nothing about plants, do not be afraid to treat me like an idiot here.

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Woah, simulposts!

Wombles, I am hesitant to put stuff in the ground here because my yard is a mess. The previous owners let it go terribly, and we've been concerned with getting the inside habitable, so we haven't been able to fix everything that's wrong with it yet. It was so neglected for so long that poison ivy and poison oak that had overtaken the whole backyard. It took us 6 months to get things to the point where the kids could play outside. When we moved in last august, we still had the previous autumn's leaves on the ground, that's how neglected the yard was.

The front yard is so shady we were told by a landscape guy that we would have a hard time even getting grass to grow, unless we feel like chopping down two beautiful old growth oak trees.  Right now we just have a bunch of moss and clover. Also, my kids play in the backyard, and there is no way I could keep them from tromping all over it anything I might plant there. And the dirt is hard clay, not great for growing things in. I would have to buy dirt to mix with the dirt I already own if I wanted anything to grow, so I figure if I'm going to pay for dirt I may as well put it in pots. But again, I know almost nothing, so I could be completely wrong about all of this.

We do have a spot in the front yard that already has some flowering bushes and stuff that was probably put there by the guy who flipped the house before the previous owners bought it in '93. It's kind of shaggy looking and I guess I could dig up some of that and put an herb garden next to the front walk. But honestly, the idea of messing around with the front garden terrifies me. Also, it seems like that area should be dedicated to decorative plants.

I should post pictures, shouldn't I? You would be shocked and amazed at the disaster that is my yard.

Carlos, that sounds wonderful, but waaay to ambitious for me and my black thumbs. I have killed cactus, I am not kidding about being clueless. I do know the basic mechanics from helping my grandmother plant annuals from seedlings when I was a kid, but the part of the process that requires you to make decisions is completely new to me.

[wombat]

A herb garden next to the front walk is a totally lovely idea. It's still easier to dig up a small spot and amend the soil a bit than to fuss with pots. Don't believe those people who say you need to dig up the whole bed half way down to China to prepare the soil. Herbs are tough. Loosen up as big an area as you can stand, at least a few inches around each pot, and if the roots are wrapped round the soil inside the pot, loosen them up too. Most herbs grow in pretty tough areas in their native habitats and it's claimed that they taste weaker if they are grown in soil that is too rich anyway. You do want good drainage for herbs though so if you have clay, you may want to add something like sand as much as you want to add organic matter.

I usually water every day for a week to get plants established, then as Carlos says, every two or three days. Use your judgment, if it's drooping, it needs water more often. But it's better to water deeply less frequently than to sprinkle lightly every day. The latter results in a plant that keeps its roots close to the surface and dries out more quickly.

Trust me this will be easier than growing in pots. I am the world's laziest gardener, nothing survives in my garden if it needs coddling. Pots are only for special cases where I have an insane urge to be all Martha Stewart and make an extra effort for some stupid pretty thing that I will regret. Pots are not for growing herbs unless you don't own any ground to put them in.

And forget about the over the winter thing for now, that is too ambitious to start if you really know nothing.

[wombat]

By the way, moss and clover is a beautiful idea for a ground cover. Don't you dare cut down those trees to grow grass. If you have moss, you are blessed. And that is NOT a word that I EVER use.

[jay-ell]

By the way, moss and clover is a beautiful idea for a ground cover. Don't you dare cut down those trees to grow grass. If you have moss, you are blessed. And that is NOT a word that I EVER use.

Losing the trees is not even a consideration. We had some dead branches cut off to keep them healthy, but they are staying.

Being the type to break out in hives if I so much as walk through a patch of grass, I'm not opposed to moss and clover, myself. As an added bonus, we've only mowed the lawn once in the ten months we've lived here, with a borrowed push mower, and it took half an hour because we only had to do the front. (The backyard is bare dirt, and that's how it's going to stay, at least until the swing set, trampoline, and sandbox come down.)

[jay-ell]

A herb garden next to the front walk is a totally lovely idea...You do want good drainage for herbs though so if you have clay, you may want to add something like sand as much as you want to add organic matter.

...

Trust me this will be easier than growing in pots. I am the world's laziest gardener, nothing survives in my garden if it needs coddling. Pots are only for special cases where I have an insane urge to be all Martha Stewart and make an extra effort for some stupid pretty thing that I will regret. Pots are not for growing herbs unless you don't own any ground to put them in.

And forget about the over the winter thing for now, that is too ambitious to start if you really know nothing.

OK, this is not sounding so bad. I took another look at the front garden and there are some half-dead scrubby things right beside the front porch that should probably be dug up anyway.

If I need to add sand for drainage, is it OK to use the old play sand that I'm getting ready to scoop out of my kids' sandbox and replace? It's been rained on (we accidentally left the cover off during a major thunderstorm) and it's full of sharp twigs and pinecone gumballs and half-decomposed leaves and other stuff that I'd prefer my kids didn't play in, but I imagine it's just fine for a garden.

[Asherdan]

(The backyard is bare dirt, and that's how it's going to stay, at least until the bricked planter wall swing set, trampoline, and sandbox come down.)

There's your long term answer.

Short term is to pick a spot that gets appropriate sun in the yard where your planters will be one day and go for it. When you get the stuff in (my kids love to help in the garden, co-opt them) put in some bamboo stakes and tie in a connecting ribbon as a visual cue for the kids to Do Not Tromple. Ribbon and stakes should cost you ~$6.

Or go with your front yard plan.

[jay-ell]

The best sun in my backyard is on the patio and the deck. And the not-directly-in-the-way spots are so overgrown with wisteria and bamboo that it will cost us at least 2 weekends or $700 to get it cleared out. We've already had an estimate on hiring it done, and it ain't in the budget.

Seriously, I have seen "before" pictures on "Desperate Landscapes" that look better than our yard does.

[wombat]

Sand with half-decomposed leaves sounds like just the thing.