Scented Hands

I love caressing the herbs in my high rise herb garden of sorts.

I just turned my rosemary pot so that the entire plant gets under the sun at some time. The plant does not get much sun and I do what I can to keep the plant from looking etiolated. And as I turned the pot, I check the shoots and notice that I am getting new branches! New growth. That makes me very happy. And then I notice my hands are scented with the oils left behind by the plant when I spread the branches. So heavenly.

The same happened when I turned my basil pot recently. My hands are scented with sweet basil fragrance. In fact, my pot of mint does the same to my hands when I pick up the stalks that have fallen over when I water the plant. And the curry leaves do the same too!

Little joys from what you grow can raise your spirits and make you happy. Sure, I could get a burner of rosemary essential oil and let the whole house smell like the oven baking a slab of meat seasoned with rosemary salt but it just feels different when it's just over your hands. I think the intimacy of it all makes all the difference.

Small wonder then that my housemate is also trying to green his fingers by caressing the herbs. They've held up well; I guess they'll be fine, as long as he doesn't try to re-pot them. The latest I've learnt is to spend a little more money and get the organic vegetables farm folks to re-pot your herbs before you bring them home. Success and growth guaranteed.

Tarragon-e

Sigh! When I went on my Taiwan trip, I asked my neighbour to help water my herbs.

When I came back, I saw my tarragon in a worse than terrible shape. It looks like it was wilting. The leaves were dark though the tips were still fresh.

It was late in the night and I didn't take a close look until the next day when I realise the entire plant was enveloped in some web. Darn! It must have been attacked by pests.

Sadly, I threw the entire plant away. I don't think I could save it given how advanced the scourge was and I was so not going to use pesticide on the plant since I intend to use the herbs. I wrapped the plant in a plastic bag together with the pot it was planted in and sent it down the rubbish chute.

Felt sad but what to do? That's part and parcel of gardening. And if these pests spread...

Now my basil are drying up. I wonder why... Is it because the weather had been too hot or if my pots had been too small or the soil levels are too low or... what?

I think one important lesson learnt is to go for the large mature plants straightaway from the nurseries. I am so not a good father to the plants since they need more attention than my work would allow me to give them. I can manage the two waterings a day but I certainly can't talk to them, prune them (except when I rob them for their leaves for my food) or sayang them.

I'm getting replacements for sure.

Lemon balm tea

The lemon balm leaves make an excellent infusion when you steep them in hot water. I got flavoured water which tasted like lemon grass tea.

I now can make lots of it for drinking. To think it costs $2 or more per glass outside! And what you usually get is a coyingly sweet drink with just that hint of lemon grass. Now I can have it often and cheaply and best of all, without the sugar.

My herb garden is indeed an excellent decision!

Worms love my rosemary

Can anyone tell me why I keep getting a particular kind of caterpillars in my rosemary plant pot? It seems to crawl round the pot in circles, not really eating the rosemary (presumably too pungent for it). But it makes me frustrated because I keep having to kill the worms daily. Sigh.

My Herb Garden

It all started out with this article in the Financial Times, which recommended that apartment dwellers like me would do well to grow herbs and vegetables out of pots. In fact, the author claimed that the plants would do better in a pot than a piece of land.

This was an unanticipated dose of confidence. I did not think I would get anything to thrive on the seventh storey, devoid of sunshine. But the week that the chef friend of mine was here, I got pots and pots of herbs. 6 pots to be exact: Spanish Corriander, Dill, Rosemary, Tarragon, Lemon Balm and Rockets. In addition, I transplanted my half-dead, half-year old basil plant and sowed 7 basil seeds, of which 3 has germinated.

Indeed, curiosity got the better of me. I just wanted to see if I could grow these wonderful herbs in the corridor outside my place. At this moment, all the plants are alive. My half dead basil has outperformed the rest of the plants. My rockets are getting used to the heat. My Spanish Corriander, with its serrated-edged leaves are doing great. Rosemary seem to be sprouting new leaves. Lemon balm is abundant. Tarragon and dill are doing great.

It's so sweet looking at the plants and watering them twice a day. The first watering is done in a rushed manner - just before work, while the second one is usually done with more love. There is time to admire now Mother Nature coaxes the next leaves to come out of those plants day by day and tell the plants they are doing great. I hope to have a functional herb garden where I can walk out with a pair of scissors and snip what I need for a meal. That would be divine.

My next target would be to grow tomatoes. I know who to blame if the 'toes don't grow fine.