Getting started...(Courtney)

I generally consider myself a fairly competent, capable person.  Most of the things in my life that I've really put my mind to have turned out successful.  However, when it comes to gardening, I lose it.  I don't know where to start, how to start, what to do once I've started...I'm at a complete loss. It seems strange to me because I love being outside, I don't mind getting dirty, and I love fresh flowers and herbs.  But doing it myself seemed incredibly overwhelming and pretty much impossible for me. When Christel told me she was thinking about growing an herb garden in lieu of writing a research paper, I thought maybe this is my chance.  Surely if my grade depends on it, I'll give it my best shot.  So, that is why I'm doing this...we'll see how it goes.

I cook a lot, and I love using fresh herbs.  They add such fresh flavor and aroma to the dish that really can't be matched my anything else.  Buying fresh herbs can be expensive, though, and they don't last very long in the refrigerator.  So, I decided that to save money and grow my own.  I cheated a little bit in that I bought already established plants instead of seeds, but my goal is to keep them alive.

Round 1:  Christel and I went to Home Depot, and I bought a few different things. I bought some pre-plotted herb plants - rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage.  I also bought a do-it-yourself home grown tomato and strawberry kit.  The box said "Guaranteed to Grow," so I grabbed it.  I potted the herbs outside on my back porch and followed the instructions on the tomato and strawberry kits.  I was most pleased with the herbs - mostly for the instant gratification factor.  I'm pretty sure I grew impatient and overwatered the tomatoes and strawberries.  I didn't have time to find out, though, because some pesky cats got into them - they uprooted my herbs and kicked around the soil with the tomato and strawberry seeds.  So, I had to start over.  This time I moved everything inside.

Round 2:  I have this weird space in my house that I've never known what to do with.  It is a small little landing on my staircase, and it has this huge window behind it.  The window faces West, and in the afternoons the sun beams brightly through it.  I thought that would be the best place to put my herbs since they need 8 hours of direct sunlight a day.  I found this precious little bench at At Home and got to work re-potting my herbs.  Growing in confidence with the herbs, I decided I would buy a few more.  To supplement, I got some more of my favorites - chives, oregano, parsley, and cilantro.  I potted these in little clay pots and set them on the bench.  It looks really good, if I do say so myself! I also bought new tomato and strawberry kits, and took another stab at it, this time with more patience.  These I set in a window that also gets a lot of direct sunlight.  Keeping my fingers crossed on those.