Kitchen and herb garden

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul." - Alfred Austin (Source: http://www.brainyquote.com)

Pansies

There are few things in the world that can come close to the joy of gardening. When we bought this house, it came with a tiny little patch of grass and a bit of soil all round it. The first year I tried my hand at gardening was not a success, it was too overwhelming for me. I had tomatoes the size of peanuts (no, they were NOT supposed to be cherry tomatoes) and my cucumber and egg-plants promptly died after transplanting them. The next year, flowers turned out quite well, they thrived for a little longer than the veggies of the previous year and they looked very pretty. I even had some cut flowers to put on the dining table. That was nice.

Tomatoes

This year I was determined to give the garden some more effort. Firstly, Arnab is tending much more to the grass than before. He is gaining experience too. Secondly, I planted the flowers directly in the soil surrounding the grass. I have seen earthworms there while tilling, so the soil must be rich in nutrients. Next, I bought bigger pots (than I did before) for the veggies. Maybe this potting soil is better too, but the plants are still ok and most of them have started bearing fruits now!

My herb garden started from seeds. It is very heartening to see the seeds germinate and the first sight of little minuscule green leaves poking out of the soil is exhilarating! It's the first glimpse of life! I have got lots of cilantro so we don't have to buy cilantro any more. Rosemary is growing very well too. It has got a fresh smell to it. (That reminds me, I should rub some on the fish I plan to bake tonight.) Parsley and Tarragon also came out very well. I am hoping that I'll get some more cilantro if the snails leave some of them for me. The snails and slugs are eating healthy these days it seems, so they are harvesting my greens before I get a chance to!

Herb on garden rack

The best of the herbs is catnip. I got the seeds from a friend and started the plants indoors. At first tiny leaves showed up, but then they all fell down and I thought they were dead. I did a good thing by bringing the plant out (after the last day of frost) and kept on watering the dying/dead plants. I don't know how but miraculously they came up again. And now they are sturdy little plants with velvety green leaves. I tear off one leaf per day and give it to Peanut Butter. It is a joy to see him rub his nose against it and then eat the leaf!

My egg plant was in a static state for the last 3 months. It didn't wither away but it didn't show any growth either. After coming back from our vacation now I see one bud. I hope it will thrive well. Tomatoes are doing the best. I already harvested some bright red ones. Sweet pea was doing well too until Bebe picked up the plant in her mouth and tossed it away. I put it back, but it didn't live any more. Good that we at least got to eat some of the peas before Bebe decided to throw it away. Now I am waiting for the three cucumbers to fatten up....