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So, the last couple of years I keep asking anyone who sell herbs at the market if they carry rau ram, aka vietnamese corriander, vietnamese cilatro, aka pretty much my favorite herb. Well, at least, my favorite one that I have to work to get. (Fun fact: it's particular associated with Buddhist monasteries, and rumor has it that it's an anaphrodisiac. Having had stretch of my life where I ate quite a bit, and ate none, um, I'm pretty sure it's not. Like, controls and everything.) Anyhow, this year, I stopped by the folks at Glacial Till Gardens, and apparently I'd raved enough about it that they got a bunch of plants in. So I bought a couple of plants. (Also, it apparently is taking off with people in the market. When I was stopping by to pick up some chervil last week, folks were stopping by to get more because they liked it so much. I like this both for spreading the joy and because increased demand means it won't be such a pain to get.) Of course, now my plants are growing gangbusters, and I'm thinking one might have been a better idea... I suppose I will just have to exert myself. Of course, I just invited one of my friends to help herself, too.
Some years ago I realized I did a much better job of growing plants in pots if they were really big pots. (Small ones dry out ridiculously quickly.) So I've been filling up big ole pots with potting soil, and my tea plant, pomegranate and jiucai, have been joined by eggplant, tomato, basil (lime, thai, genovese), peppers, rau ram, chervil and rosemary. (I'll often mix things that mostly use the top of the soil with things that tend to root deeper - I seem to get more plants for my pots that way.) So for the first time since I moved to the zendo I have a nice selection of herbs available whenever I want to throw them in something, which is awfully satisfying. I'd gotten pretty used to having fresh herbs whenever, and it certainly makes cooking more entertaining. (The jiucai both does and doesn't count. I've had since before we moved to the zendo - most of my herbs didn't get inside soon enough that first fall, but it's jiucai, which means it's proof against all kinds of hardship and neglect.)
Oh, and if it sounds like a few plants are producing an awful lot of herbs for the table, well, I'm using the fertilizer Indoor Sun Shop folks turned me on to when I was living on the house barge. Always ask the folks who know their hydroponics. Adequate water and space, adequate light and heat, and decent nutrition. I used to think gardening was about work. Now I realize it's mostly about stacking the deck. Oh, the heartbreak of my teenage years, trying to work in poor soil or window boxes of inadequate dimensions.
Some years ago I realized I did a much better job of growing plants in pots if they were really big pots. (Small ones dry out ridiculously quickly.) So I've been filling up big ole pots with potting soil, and my tea plant, pomegranate and jiucai, have been joined by eggplant, tomato, basil (lime, thai, genovese), peppers, rau ram, chervil and rosemary. (I'll often mix things that mostly use the top of the soil with things that tend to root deeper - I seem to get more plants for my pots that way.) So for the first time since I moved to the zendo I have a nice selection of herbs available whenever I want to throw them in something, which is awfully satisfying. I'd gotten pretty used to having fresh herbs whenever, and it certainly makes cooking more entertaining. (The jiucai both does and doesn't count. I've had since before we moved to the zendo - most of my herbs didn't get inside soon enough that first fall, but it's jiucai, which means it's proof against all kinds of hardship and neglect.)
Oh, and if it sounds like a few plants are producing an awful lot of herbs for the table, well, I'm using the fertilizer Indoor Sun Shop folks turned me on to when I was living on the house barge. Always ask the folks who know their hydroponics. Adequate water and space, adequate light and heat, and decent nutrition. I used to think gardening was about work. Now I realize it's mostly about stacking the deck. Oh, the heartbreak of my teenage years, trying to work in poor soil or window boxes of inadequate dimensions.