Garden Update

The little seedlings are coming along nicely, at least some of them are.

The tomato plants are spindly, but about 3" tall.
The Thyme is going crazy, and there are lots of little Basil plants, all about 3/4" tall.
But the Rosemary and the Mint have not yet made an appearance.

I am starting to worry. At first I though that they were just seeds that take longer to germinate. But it's been two weeks, and still there is nothing, so Maybe it's time to rethink my strategy on those particular plants.

In other gardening news, We got out and played in the garden a little bit today, and I hope to get some more done tomorrow. The nice weather in the last week really breathed some life into our herb bed, and I took some pics:


Of course, Chives are pretty hearty, and once they get established, they don't require much work. But it was nice to see them so healthy. Now I have to figure out what to do with them. Anybody have any good chive recipes?

Sage was one I grew up with. We had a very large sage bush in our back yard, and it is one of the first ones I learned how to use. We had to keep this bush cut back for several years, because it was in such a tight place, but we moved it last year and it seems much happier here. It's geeting new leaves, new life and looking good.

The Marjoram plant was one I bought at the end of the season last year, it was all alone, and lonely in the nursery aisle at Lowes. I got it half off, and wasn't sure how well it would do. But I planted it and crossed my fingers.

Two weeks ago, it was still looking brown and dreary and I thought it may have not made it througn the winter, but now it is greenvibrant and ready to start growing for the year. It's only about 6" across, but I think this year will be a good marjoram year.

Savory is not an attractive plant at all. But the smell of the leaves is incredible, I like to cook with it both fresh and dried, and I love to pluck a sprig when I leave the house in the morning and just smell it as I walk oout to the truck.

I dried quite a bit of this last year, on a cookie sheet in my truck, and it made the truck smell better than any air freshener ever could.

Rosemary is supposed to be a perennial, but apparantly not in this zone. We had a good healthy plant last year, and it survived outside until well after Christmas then froze in the bitter cold of those last few days of late January. So this one is a newbie. I had it covered with a makeshift greenhouse, made out of an old milk jug, but took the top off a week ago, to let it get some sunlight. It seems to be doing well. I am not sure if I can mulch it to make it thorough our winters, or if I will have to dig it up and bring it inside. Anyone with tips on growing Rosemary in Michigan, I'd love some advice.


The picture doesn't really do it justice, but our oregano, which I divided last year, is going crazy, and is strong and healthy. The plant is about 12" x 18" and I may end up dividing it again, just to keep it under control.

Last year I divided it in thirds, gave two of the thirds away, and kept a small plant for us. The plant that we have now is bigger than the one I started with last year.