Herb-O-Rama

Fresh herbs are some of my favorite things in the world. I love the way they look, I love the way they taste, and I love the way they smell.

If you're new to gardening, starting a small herb garden is a great way to get your feet wet and thumbs green. Many herbs are low maintenance, hardy to extreme conditions, and perennials (come back year after year).

We had a very successful herb garden last year, and this year, we're almost running out of space in the small beds as the herbs compete with each other for the spare room. We definitely have more fresh herbs than necessary for our family-of-two's weekly menu. So I've taken to finding other uses for our abundance of herbs.

Use numero uno: herbal arrangements.

Here's our dining room table centerpiece - a vase filled with rosemary. It's a beautiful splash of green at the table, gives off a wonderful aroma, and we can season our meals with fresh rosemary as desired.

Here is a decorated jar filled with lavender. I set this one in the bathroom instead of a chemical air freshener. You can pump up the scent of the fresh lavender by dipping a cotton ball in lavender essential oil and setting it in the bottom of the jar.

Use numero dos: dried herbs

Drying herbs preserves them indefinitely for uses in just about any dish. Here's the process, 1. Cut the fresh herbs 2. Tie a string around the stems of a bunch of herbs 3. Hang the bunch of herbs upsidedown in a dry, well-ventilated area 4. Let dry for several days 5. Remove dried leaves from the stems and store in air-tight containers

Garden Prep 2011

You know the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."? Well, there's nothing like a two-month hiatus to renew my motivation for blogging about our DIY projects.

For years, Fall has been my favorite season. I've always loathed Spring because where I'm from up North, Spring means wet, sloppy messes on the roads and in the yard. Here in Middle Georgia, Spring Rocks (and is quickly becoming my favorite season)! There are beautiful blooming trees, mild temperatures, and best of all, NO SLOPPY MESSES! And probably my favorite part of Spring is the anticipation and preparation for the garden. Last year, I let my husband take the lead in planning and planting. This year, I've grabbed the bull by the horns.

I've already taken a gardening class, sent in my soil sample to the University(for which I'm anxiously awaiting the results), and started seeds indoors.
Here's a picture of my make-shift mini greenhouse:

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This attempt includes tomatoes, jalepeno peppers, and zinnias.

And the perennial herbs have been hard at work too!



A little mint making a resurgence.



One reason to let cilantro go to seed: it comes back!



Super Chives!

I've also decided to give peas another go:

Vegetable Garden

The day we first looked at our house this past November, we both agreed that the back corner of the yard would be a perfect place for a vegetable garden. And wouldn't you know it, five months later we have a lovely little plot.

Back in March, Marcus marked off the plot. In early April, we bought a heavy-duty tiller and tilled the plot. About a week after that, Marcus and a friend picked up compost and manure and tilled it into the soil. Shorty thereafter, we planted 10 tomatoes, 2 tomatillos, 10 yellow squash, 10 zuchini, 10 okra, 10 cucumbers, 4 eggplant, 2 lettuce, 2 cabbage, 2 hubbard squash, 2 cantelope, and 10 peppers. Already, most plants are flourishing although some are struggling (cantelope and okra). This project isn't a 100% DIY, but folks have been asking about our garden. Here are a few pictures:














The plot on a sunny day.














The garden on a misty May morning.



















The first little tomato!














Flowering tomatillos and tomatoes.














Flowering eggplant.



















The first of the peppers!



















Oh right, we have an herb garden too!