I began my herb garden adventure three months ago. Herbs are an essential ingredient in almost everything I cook but unfortunately they come at a premium cost. Whether buying them from the local fruit shop or one of the supermarkets in the area, you pay an exorbitant price for a very small amount of fresh herbs. And so the herb garden idea was born. Initial outlay was about the same as 4 bags of herbs, which is a bargain if you can manage to keep them alive.
The herb garden has been a long time coming but there was a lot to consider. Actually, there was only one thing to really think about…where’s the sunniest part of the garden? Although I don’t know much about gardening, the one thing I do know is that herbs need a lot of sunshine to thrive. So for months I checked sun angles and considered the options.
With enthusiasm for the project, I ventured to a garden centre. I was a little apprehensive about whether I would be successful in my endeavours, so with this in mind, I decided to choose only 4 plants: rosemary, thyme, basil and mint. The staples. The ones you always need.
It looked good. The plants were small but they would grow…hopefully.
And then disaster struck. The basil was attacked by ants. Everything else was left alone. But those sweet, tender new leaves on the basil plant came under attack. What was a small plant turned into a leafless stalk. With the help of Google, and bicarbonate of soda; ant sand; and lavender oil diluted in water; (I’m not sure which one worked), the area is now ant free. The rest of the herbs are going strong and the sweet basil is fighting back…sort of.
Three months later:
With the ant/basil disaster I decided the basil plant needed replacing. This time I bought a bigger one and have left it on the landing outside the back door. Having read that basil and tomato plants grow well together, I also bought some tomato seeds, which have now sprouted and need to be planted in the garden. I’m currently looking for a new location in the garden for the basil, just in case the ants still linger. Until then, its easy access from the kitchen.
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