Porch Garden

For the past two or three years, I have become interesting in growing plants as my interest in cooking began to grow. I thought that if I had fresh herbs and products to use from my own backyard, it would give more meaning to my menu.  This was a great dream and all, except that I lived on a property that wasn’t mine and I couldn’t grow plants due to landscaping concerns.

So I moved into an apartment. It’s an improvement only because I have a second story porch. Granted a porch is not as exciting or productive as actual land, but it’s a start. Plus it had hanging hooks on the porch posts. Therefore, the first thing I bought was a beautiful hanging basket at the local farmer’s market.

My next challenge is that my porch is made of wood and has gaps between the planks that allows water to drip through. The couple below me are smokers and use their porch frequently and I suppose that they would be unhappy if I were constantly dripping water on their heads. Therefore, my husband and I purchased plastic planters to house our plants in that have bases to hold the water. Occasional accidents do happen. Sorry, neighbors.

The plants that I grew this year were jalapeno peppers, basil, dill, and rosemary. I started small with plants that I knew could grow well in pots.

One of the surprising advantages I found was that fellow gardeners are very willing to help share knowledge about how to grow plants. I was given advice on when to prune dill, and where to pull the leaves on the basil. The plants bring me closer to those around me because we now share a new commonality.

Also, I am able to share my herbs on occasion. Some of my family members love rosemary. When I brought a few branches to my mother’s house, she was very excited and began listing all of the dishes she planned to make with it. It’s nice to bring a smiles to love one’s faces.

Next, I will be posting about how I am going to use my basil to keep my grandmother’s tradition of amazing pesto alive.