Gardening, Take One

Most people who really love cooking also have at least a little desire to garden -- at least to grow some herbs in a window sill. Partly to have fresh herbs, at least. I have finally gotten basil, which is supposed to be an annual that peters out quickly, to keep growing all winter inside. It needs light, water, and a MUCH bigger pot than I had been growing it in. In fact, it's in a huge pot with another plant, and has been thriving. In the past, I've tried to move it inside into a four-inch or so pot on the windowsill, good light and plenty of water -- but it just weakened and died. This year, one basil plant was randomly assigned to stay in a big pot that also has, of all things, a Norfolk Island Pine, and it has thrived all winter. The one I put in a smaller pot on the sunny kitchen windowsill, not so much. I don't know what that means, but I'm going to do it again next year. Maybe basil just gets lonely.

And then: I've already started gardening for this year. I know it's optimistic, but it is also an experiment. I always have good luck with pansies -- sometimes they still are in bloom at Christmas and almost always regenerate for spring -- and I saw shoots of pansies that I planted last fall poking up, so I decided to go for it. I did some research on cold-hardy plants, and decided to plant: 5 spinach plants, 5 arugulas, and 3 more pansies. My backup plan is seeds for spinach and arugula, which I will plant in a week or so, and every week or so thereafter.

We'll see. The good thing is that the plants are in containers, so if the weather turns really frigid, I can slap a cover over them. Or even haul them inside if it is drastically cold.

The odd thing is that, aside from the basil, which needs to be warm all the time, most of my houseplants thrive the best when I put them outside for "summer camp," then bring them back in for the winter only to my unheated, but sunny and enclosed, front entryway. I have never put a thermometer to it, but I'm guessing that on a sunny winter day, it gets up to 70 or so, and then maybe 40 at night. Only me going in and out, so not too many drafts. The Christmas cactus in particular thrives there, and hates being in the actual house. So, I'm thinking -- Brussels Sprouts? Kale? I have to try this next fall! Oh, for a greenhouse.