Most people find themselves with exorbitant amounts of time on their hands when summer comes around. In my experience, my summer days are either completely slammed with things and chores to do, or they're completely empty and I'm bored all day long. There are lots of activities, hobbies, etc. that people suggest picking up over your summer break, but for me the key was finding something that I could dedicate time to without having to dedicate every single day to.
My decision? Starting an herb garden!
Now, it's no greenhouse. And it's definitely not going to show up in the next edition of HGTV magazine. But nonetheless, I think Joanna Gaines (aka my hero/Fixer Upper star) would still be proud of me. Initally, I wanted to take the easy way out. Buy herbs that had already been planted and were flourishing and ready to be used. But each plant costed somewhere around $6, and that added up way too quickly for me to fathom getting any more than one or two, which isn't very "garden"-like at all.
Instead, I opted to do it the "hard" way (at least for those of us without green thumbs). I picked up a couple of packets of seeds, each going for about $1 a piece, each containing enough seeds to plant a whole army of their enclosed herb, which gave me peace of mind, given the fact that I will more than likely end up killing at least one of my plants before they even get the chance to really live. The herbs I ended up choosing were basil, sage, lavender, dill, and cilantro. I also picked up a pack of seven biodegradable starter pots, which was about $4. That way, if they need to be put in something larger, doing so will be easier than having to uproot it from one pot to another. Finally, I got some seed starter soil after a little research into what soil herbs like best - about $5 for 8 quarts. Turns out herbs actually prefer soil-less "soil." Go figure, right?
Basically, the mixture that works best for herbs is something like peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. But I also read that herbs aren't especially picky, which bodes well for me.
All my purchases in tow, I set up my little tray of pots with the seed starter, the seeds, and a little bit of water. I stored my left-over seeds in a cool, dry place. Same with my left over seed starter soil. And then I placed my herbs near a window, each pot labeled with its respective herb.
So, I'll give it a few weeks, tend to my new plant-children, and let you all know how it goes! If you're also looking for a small hobby to pick up over the summer then you should join me in my gardening endeavors; it might just turn into the best summer project yet.
