My wife and I have never been good at keeping any plants alive. That’s why Christy looked at me funny when I said I wanted to grow some herbs. We even joked about how long it would take me to kill them off. The good news is I was able to grow basil, mint, thyme and onion chives for about three months. I planted them in small containers, as I didn’t want to waste much money if I wasn’t able to take care of them. Unfortunately, these small containers couldn’t keep moisture around for very long in the Texas heat. We went on a short vacation recently and we didn’t have anyone to come by and water the plants for us. Why? Well… we never have needed anyone before and I completely forgot about them (neglect). While we were gone the temperature averaged around 100 degrees. The only thing that survived was the Basil.
I decided not to give up on the herbs, so I setup a larger container for my next attempt. I really like the look of the galvanized water tanks that I have seen used as planters, so I located a Tractor Supply store and purchased a 1 x 2 x 4 foot water tank.
I didn’t want the tank sitting directly on the cement patio so my Father-in-law cut up some 4×4’s that he had been saving and I placed those under the tanks.
Next I drilled some holes in the bottom and put a 1-inch layer of gravel in the bottom so that water could drain out.
Then I layered some organic dirt on top of the rocks and I soaked it down to see how well the water would drain out. I am very pleased with the way it looks and I am excited about planting some new herbs.
This weekend I will go to the Antique Rose Emporium and purchase the new herbs. I will update you in a later post on the new plants I choose for my next attempt.
What are your favorite herbs? Do you have any growing advice for a first timer?