Herb garden

At long last I got my herbs in this weekend! I'm so excited! Next to the anticipation of my vegetables my herbs are a close second. Last year I planted all of my herbs (except the mint) in flower boxes I wasn't using. This year I've read more and learned that some herbs need more root room to grow. I found the information sections for herbs on the Tasteful Garden site really helpful. I learned that Basil becomes root bound very easily and will bolt (grow flowers and stop growing) if it doesn't have enough room. Parsley doesn't need as much room so it goes in the smaller pots. Good for me I keep all of my old pots because you never know when you'll need them. So here is the pre-planting plan. I did throw some Osmocote on the herbs after I planted them. The garden is fully organic but the herbs got a little extra help this year.

The line up left to right:
Italian Oregano
Banana Pepper (not an herb, I know, but I ran out of room in the garden)
Mint (carry over from last year but not sweet enough for Mojitos)
Sweet Globe Basil (tiny leaves)
Kentucky Spearmint (perfect for Mojitos!)
Curly Leaf Parsley
Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Basil

Kentucky Spearmint around the outside (regrowth from last year). Regular Spearmint on the inside that I planted about a month ago. Why? Because I learned that mint is a perennial and comes back every year even if it sits in a pot on the deck all winter with no attention.

The other thing I learned last year is to keep mint to itself unless you want it to spread. This pot will be a whirly swirly of mint by the end of the summer.


And last but not least my first zucchini flower! Judging from the picture though, I think I have snails? What's that hole in the leaf near the flower? Maybe a beer bath is in order? Any other ideas?