Thursday, August 01, 2024

Herb + Scrap Garden

I have a crate of ripe tomatoes from the farmers' market on the floor of my pantry, and abundant cherry tomatoes in a container pot on the patio, but every morning I bounce out of bed to squint through the early morning glare on the windows to check if the tomatoes ripening in my veggie plot are still there. So far, so good! There are some absolute beauties that should be ready for us in a week or so.

In the meantime, the herbs I planted indoors while we were still snowbound back in March are doing alright too.  StephLove was 100% right that the basil wouldn't last--it didn't despite my care and all that sunlight. Neither did the parsley, but the other herbs I think of as my "Scarborough Fair" herbs--sage, rosemary, thyme, and bonus mint are doing great. 

At some point, I started tucking nubs of things I'd used up in the kitchen like swiss chard, romaine, green onions, leeks, and celery into those pots, and it has been so cheery to see them sprouting all over again. I used the onions, chard, and romaine to up the green quotient in our dinner today.

Pic: Herbs and scraps growing. Also in the frame (bottom right) my very leafy but blossomlessfree jasmine.

5 comments:

Gillian said...

Nice.

StephLove said...

That's a beautiful indoor garden.

All we are growing this year is flowers, herbs, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. All outside. We're in a drought and everything is a little slow, but hanging in there for the most part. We only just started harvesting tomatoes this week and there are three promising cukes, but nothing big enough to pick yet.

Jenny said...

I love it! I need you to come to my house and show me how to do this. I've had varied success with outdoor gardens over the years, but lately I've given up. It's hard in Florida (our soil quality is terrible) but people definitely do it. Maybe an indoor garden is the answer.

NGS said...

I have been getting a handful of heirloom tomatoes at the Farmers Market every Saturday and eating them plain with my lunch. It is a joyous time for produce in the Midwest!

maya said...

Gillian--Thanks!

Steph--Similar list here (no cucumbers though). Outside feels very outside my control because of deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and falling trees (we had another one today)--so I the inside garden is my safety net.

Jenny--I'd love to. I don't have a great variety--it's mostly plants that need watering only once a week, but I do love all the green. I love all the bougainvillea and jasmine in Florida. I grew up with those tropical plants and wish I could have them year round here.

Engie--Truly, what a season for produce. Tomato sandwiches (just butter, tomatoes, S&P) are my summer salve.

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