The Seeds You Plant

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson

So I've started my little herb garden in my tiny courtyard. Here's how I've managed it:

I've salvaged tin cans from our kitchen and a pallet from my parents and then picked up some hooks and sheet metal screws from the hardware store (I'm hoping to find some old spoons in the op-shops - to bend into hooks), and screwed them into the cans.

No doubt a mini electric screwdriver would have been handy and easier, but that's an expense that I can't justify or afford right now. So I used a screw point to hammer a tiny hole into the steel, which maked it easier the turn the screw in by hand. I also did the same thing to punch drainage holes in the bottom of the cans. The hooks have two holes, which provides a sturdy attachment. All pretty easy if you've got sturdy hands! (I'm not sure how I'm going drill holes into old spoons, but I'm sure I could borrow an power drill somewhere.)

I also managed to find a little local garden shop within bike riding distance of my studio and home where I picked up some organic herb/veggie potting mix and a few more seedlings. It was just a matter of transferring the seedlings from their little pots into the new tin cans and hanging off the pallet. Voila!

I'm not sure if I am meant to water them straight away or not, so I'm playing it safe and checking beneath the top layer of soil each day. If it's dry then it gets a drink, otherwise I leave it. I also check for wilted/brown foliage and pick it off to encourage new growth. I've also positioned the pallet in the morning sun which I'm told is the best sunlight for plants. It's a lovely spot in the mornings to have a cuppa.

I'm inspired to get more cheap seedlings from the farmers markets this weekend and pot some more!