June 17th, 2010
My Four Little Pots + Making Your Own Herb Garden
This past weekend, while shopping for plants and seeds for my kitchen garden I was finally found a place to plant my seeds!
In case you missed it, this spring my friend Moorea & I launched a slow food project called Four Little Pots– the idea is you grow herbs in your home and use them in our delightfully illustrated recipes all summer. If you’ve never grown your own plants, think of it as an incredibly slow motion version of the most fun you’ll ever have.
Up until now I’ve been full of enthusiasm for homemade mojitos and with nowhere to grow my seeds- but this weekend I found these beautiful little pots. They’re 100% biodegradable and feel exactly like plastic, but after 3 – 5 years of use they’ll break down and can be composted. Thank you, science!
Seasonal eating is one of my passions, it makes the seasons hold so much more weight and excitement. There’s nothing I love more than being able to look forward to simple, inexpensive things like fresh leeks in the summer or pumpkin pie in the fall…
Want to making a herb garden?
It’s not hard, I pinky swear.
– Think about your favourite meals, and single out the flavours that you love. Finding herbs to complement your tastes will motivate you to try working them into what you already make, and from there you can get adventurous.
– Swing by a local farmers market or big box hardware store. This is the season that everyone is carrying plants, pots, and a little soil- and that’s all you need to have a window herb garden. It’s less than a $10 investment & takes almost no time to pull together.
– If you want a head start buy started plants instead of seeds. Look for plants that have lots of healthy looking leaves and strong stalks. Check the bottoms of leaves for spots and check the stalks for discolouration- you want a plant that’s the picture of health!
– Make it about more than the cooking! Keep your plants in mismatched tea cups and water them with an antique toy tea pot, or plant them in a vintage candy coloured pyrex bowl and make them a living centre piece on your table. As long as they get sun and water, you’re good!
I’ll even gchat you through any near death experiences you inflict on your seedlings ;)
how exciting! seasonal eating is the best! i can’t wait to start my garden. those post are amazing too! =)
This post and your little project make me so happy because for the past three years, I have grown my own herbs for cooking and am currently attempting to raise a tomato plant. It’s been interesting so far, but is going well. (I think!)
I cannot wait to see how everything grows for you!
This reminds me, I need to water my tomato plant…
Now that I have some more time on my hands, I’m going to start my Four Little Pots adventure. I need to pick up a few pots/bowls/cups for my seeds, but then I’ll be ready. I’m really looking forward to it! My husband’s grandparents have a garden next to our house, so when the cucumbers are ready, I’m looking forward to homemade dill pickles!
Love the tips! There’s something about the soil in my little Southern town that makes plants grow like crazy. One thing I wanted when we moved into our home was an herb garden and I’m so happy to keep adding herbs to it each spring.
I love this gardening thing. So much fun…
I’ve always wanted to do this but I’m never sure if it’s the “right season” to start one. Or if that even matters.
Kyla, I think this is just a WONDERFUL idea… I wish I had space in my kitchen to grow my own herbs (but I swear, I literally don’t even have space to put ONE little pot)… it really sucks.
So, I’ll have to live through your posts this summer!
How funny because I finally went out yesterday and got the soil to plat the seeds for my 4 Little Pots project!! I’m sooo excited. Blog post soon. <3
I’m already so horrible at remembering to water my flowers. I should change that and try and plant some herbs or flowers. Thanks for the inspiration! :)
So cute! I too am a great supporter of Slow Food! We’ve been getting a weekly, organic, seasonal veggie box and I can’t tell you how much I love it and how quickly I’ve relied on it. I love that Australia is warm enough to grow veggies year-round but I’m sure that come late-winter I’m going to be dying for something other than potatoes, broccoli, cabbage and carrots.
Excited to see how your herbs go! Our veggie garden was a bit of a fail this year, but I’m already planning for next spring!
we have herbs growing all over our yard and i’m loving it! the smells are wonderful. :)
To my delight, I’ve discovered that my big brawny fella ADORES gardening. We’ve had so much fun transforming our little slice of patio into an edible garden using a charming assortment of pots.
Good luck with yours!
such a great idea…I love plants, but they all die. :(
Alas, I’ve killed every plant I’ve ever owned :(
This season, I’m growing my own special seed. Only downside compared to yours? It doesn’t self-destruct in 3-5 years. =)
You must have that green thumb, becasue plants come to my house to die. As much as I want that herb garden in my house…the only plants I can keep alive are the morning glories in the back and my cactus’s. I need a book on herbs, they’re so delicate.
I love the seasonal foods! It’s so true that certain times of year are special and the food totally adds to the festivities.
I love the Four Little Pots idea! I really hope you do it next year, I’m for surely going to sign up :) Fresh herbs just make my day – the smell, the taste, everything :)
Ahhh I am yet to plant mine but I DID read your e-book the other weekend when I MEANT to plant them but it was just too darn hot. You’re so talented, Kyla and I’m so proud of you for this amazing project.
I currently have a strawberry plant and tomato plant on my patio that seem to be doing OK (I’m never sure how much to water! Especially in DRY Kamloops) and I’m planning on planting my four little pots seeds next week sometime!
I’m terrible at growing things. I’ve yet to plant the seeds from Four Little Pots, but I moved one step forward by actually getting pots. :)
So my gigantic basil plant died over the winter and I am so sad about it, because it was my most favorite thing! I haven’t planted another one yet, but our chives (which were in the same half wine barrel) did come back to life! I also just planted a rosemary bush last weekend :) YAY!
I can’t stand your cuteness these days. I love the last line the most! Since our house is still in a bit of contractor turmoil, I don’t think I’ll be planting much of anything this season =(
How awesome that you found biodegradable pots! LOVE!
Girl! I’m so pleased with my little deck-garden:
tomatoes, jalapenos and cilantro for salsas
tomatoes and basil for Caprese Salads
mint for mojitos
Green beans…for Mike. Though, slugs are eating them…
Where did you find those pots? Is there an online way to buy them?
I finally got pots this weekend but as if you can find soil in Edmonton. I’m going hunting again this weekend … I really want to plant my seeds!
Thanks for the tips, miss! I’ll put them to use when I plant my own seeds.
Oh I’ve wanted to do this for the past three years, but it never happened. Now I’m afraid I won’t have a proper window that’s not in my living room. I wonder if it’s okay to grow herbs in one’s living room? ha
You’ve sparked my excitement about growing my own herbs even more now! I can’t wait to start planting my four little pots, but with moving in three weeks, I can’t convince myself that this is the best time. I promise to start once I’m settled in my new home and to update you on my progress!
I planted my seeds a few weeks ago, the dill is sprouting! This post reminds me though that I haven’t watered them in a few days! Oppps. I just wrote a post it to remind myself to do it when I get home. =) If my plants survive this summer with me attempting to keep them alive it will be a slight miracle.
well perhaps it’s easier inside. My outside herbs are not fairing so well, however my tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and garlic = lovely!
I love seasonal eating too! Yum!
I wish I didn’t kill every green thing I come into contact with… I like the idea of having a herb garden since I use herbs so much in my cooking. But I am just a disaster when it comes to keeping things alive. :(