Dill, Lime Basil, Mint, Sage, Rosemary - my Florida herb garden
I’m so excited!! Last weekend Red and I planted a container herb garden. Now Red has been reading up on gardening, and really wanted to start a garden. We considered hydroponics, and indoor growing, but decided on outdoor containers. It reminded me of when I was young, still living close to my mother. My brother and I planted a garden at mom’s house. It was quite fun and yielded a rather nice crop. I know that growing here in Florida is nothing like growing in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
We had a potting bench and some plastic two gallon pots to get started. Both of us spent most of the morning reading about different herbs. We decided to plant dill, mint, sage, rosemary, and lime basil. Next thing was to scan the back yard and decide on our location. The area we chose has just enough direct sunlight for the dill and rosemary, but not so much that the plants will be scorched by the summer Florida sun; while the mint, basil and sage are closer to the wall, thus being somewhat shaded from direct sunlight. “Look Mom, you’ll be able to see them from your office window,” Red thoughtfully pointed out.
Next, it was off to Home Depot. Red really wanted to mix the soil himself but didn’t find what we needed. I had read online that container gardens in Florida did well with a good potting soil. We bought two bags of Scott’s premium moisture advantage soil, one bag of Perlite, and a 32 oz. liquid fertilizer. The seeds we purchased were all Burpee brand.
It took us a few hours to set up the area, mix the soil and fill the pots. It was just about nightfall when we finally planted the seeds. Red planted the mint, lime basil, and sage while I worked on the dill and rosemary. Lastly we moistened the soil.
Last night we had a terrible storm. It didn’t last too long but the rain and wind were very heavy. I was concerned that the pots might blow over and/or flood. It lasted until after dark, eliminating the chance to check them out.
Early this morning, day six of our herb garden adventure, I went out and checked the herbs. The basil pot is completely full of “babies” as we call them, and there are some visible dill sprouting up. The mint, rosemary, and sage have just a few sprouts… Like two or three in each pot. I was thrilled to see the progress and relieved to see that the storm did no real damage.
We had a potting bench and some plastic two gallon pots to get started. Both of us spent most of the morning reading about different herbs. We decided to plant dill, mint, sage, rosemary, and lime basil. Next thing was to scan the back yard and decide on our location. The area we chose has just enough direct sunlight for the dill and rosemary, but not so much that the plants will be scorched by the summer Florida sun; while the mint, basil and sage are closer to the wall, thus being somewhat shaded from direct sunlight. “Look Mom, you’ll be able to see them from your office window,” Red thoughtfully pointed out.
Sage photo burpee.com Mint photo burpee.com
Next, it was off to Home Depot. Red really wanted to mix the soil himself but didn’t find what we needed. I had read online that container gardens in Florida did well with a good potting soil. We bought two bags of Scott’s premium moisture advantage soil, one bag of Perlite, and a 32 oz. liquid fertilizer. The seeds we purchased were all Burpee brand.
It took us a few hours to set up the area, mix the soil and fill the pots. It was just about nightfall when we finally planted the seeds. Red planted the mint, lime basil, and sage while I worked on the dill and rosemary. Lastly we moistened the soil.
Last night we had a terrible storm. It didn’t last too long but the rain and wind were very heavy. I was concerned that the pots might blow over and/or flood. It lasted until after dark, eliminating the chance to check them out.
Early this morning, day six of our herb garden adventure, I went out and checked the herbs. The basil pot is completely full of “babies” as we call them, and there are some visible dill sprouting up. The mint, rosemary, and sage have just a few sprouts… Like two or three in each pot. I was thrilled to see the progress and relieved to see that the storm did no real damage.
Comments
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Thanks,
Peter - Herb garden plants