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Saturday, January 19, 2013

Windowsill Herb Garden



I was perusing Pinterest in October and found a pin about starting certain herbs from cuttings.  I was very intrigued especially since Rosemary was mentioned as one of them and I ALWAYS buy a new plant every year as they don't winter over where I live.  I have tried and tried to keep them through the winter, even getting them through until early Spring, only to have a late freeze "do them in."  I tried keeping them inside too, but after discarding many Rosemary "corpses" early winter, I gave up.
However, it is known universally that true gardeners never really give up, we only replant.  So, I figured I would try again by trying this method of  taking cuttings and see if I could keep them alive over winter.



So I was amazed and shocked to find that the Rosemary seems to happily root themselves in a bit of water.  Just take a clipping of a stem down to the woody part.  Remove the lower leaves and place in container...that's it.  Insta-Rosemary plants...well, give or take a week or two.  However, if you are patient, they will root.  And as you can see mine did.  
And then I planted two out of five of them.  They did well for awhile and then the inevitable came...
more herbal carnage. 
I couldn't show you a picture, because a dead plant is a disgrace to a gardener, even if it's only on a windowsill.
So, I started another cutting and it's happily rooted in water.  Where it's going to stay for now.
I also brought in the "mother plant."  And she's alive and even growing.  
I am fiercely trying to ignore her and only water when I see branches wilt as overwatering is a fast death sentence to Rosemary.


This parsley is actually not a cutting but a plant I started in late fall.  I don't think it's going to grow much bigger but I'm determined to keep it alive as I love its leaves.


My basil cuttings?  I only had one casualty and that was due to over or under watering...not sure which one it was.  However, the others rooted and were planted and are doing pretty well so far.
I have five more to plant, but am moving slowly on the planting as I don't want to lose any of them and they are still happy in their water.
I even managed to start a few peppermints from the plants in late November or early December.  Two out of five survived but they are making it.
I only have eastern windows, so anything that makes it will have to be especially hardy.


So, this is my winter garden.  Humble but happy.  A happy garden sight for white snowy days.  And the scent is a delicious reminder of outdoor summertime meals.

What's your favorite herb to cook with in the winter?  Blessings! 

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38 comments:

  1. Such a pretty sight!

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  2. Marvelous photography and wonderfully informative post ~

    (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

    Thanks for 'visiting' ~

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  3. Nice picture, yes, I love this beautiful view through the window, light and delicious color.

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  4. What a cheery winter window sill... love it! I'm so glad you came by to share on Weekly Top Shot #66!

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  5. How neat! I bet it is nice to smell the herbs when you're by the window sill! I love to cook with herbs, and I'd say I use cilantro and parsley most often.

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    1. I love cilantro and parsley...they are so flavorful. I use a lot thyme, oregano and rosemary in the winter for soups and stews. :)

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  6. My green thumb is not much greener than yours. Good luck with your window sill garden!

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    1. Thanks! My thumb is much greener outside...but I'm getting the hang of growing indoors. :)

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  7. Hi~ Stopping by from Clever Chicks Blog Hop! Lovely post! I can smell the herbs from here! Lynn H Turnips 2 Tangerines

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  8. Love the idea! I'd love to try some cilantro; wonder if it works.

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    1. It never hurts to try some cilantro from seed...especially if you have a sunny window! :)

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  9. what a great idea and they look so pretty in the window. i tried to keep my basil happy last year by bringing it inside but it didn't last :( i'll have to try this out!

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    1. Hope it works for you...I am trying to make them last all winter and take clippings from them to plant in the garden in spring. :)

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  10. Your windowsill against the wintry world outside looks so, so pretty!

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    1. Thanks Deborah...I enjoy seeing the green plants!

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  11. I would love to have indoor herbs. Maybe I'll have to give it another try. Maybe I'll start small :)

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    1. Hope it works out for you...starting small is always a great idea. It's less to try to manage and you can always add to it later. Thanks for visiting! :)

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  12. Beautiful post! I can't wait to start an herb garden this spring and need all the tips I can get!

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    1. Oh that's great April! I bought most of the plants for my first herb garden and was able to have herbs to use much faster...especially thyme, oregano, sage, lavender and rosemary. French Tarragon only comes as a plant (it doesn't grow true from seed.) Sounds like lots of fun!! :)

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  13. OK. I have now run out of excuses. Seeing you use those containers shows me that I HAVE to start this today. I have such good sun on the south side, and my husband has put up a simple shelf along the top of my picture windows. I'm doing this today!

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    1. Oh, a south window with a shelf sounds wonderful! Hope it turns out well!! :)

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  14. I've had a terrible time growing herbs indoors in winter. They all die, except for a couple of scraggly bits of chives still hanging on. These are good ideas to try--thanks for posting!

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    1. I feel your pain! So far, the basils are looking great and the rosemary's in water are alive and well. I'm very hopeful these will make it a few more months! :)

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  15. Hi, I'm stopping by from the HomeAcre Hop and I am so encouraged that you have been able to keep some alive! I am not a gardener by any means, but I have been wanting to grow some things for a while now. We just moved further north and I literally don't have any windows where I think the sunlight would come in enough to keep something alive. I might give it a shot though!

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    1. Hi Letitia, mine is an east window, so it gets the morning sun. I think east, west, south windows would be good. Not sure about a north facing window though. You could always get a grow light and put a single plant under it...hope it works out well! :)

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  16. I'm stopping by from the HomeAcre Hop, too. It's so nice to think that I might actually be able to have something green! I haven't had much luck keeping rosemary alive, though. Maybe this is the push I need to try again. Thanks!

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    1. Rosemary is so difficult! Mine is making it though and I'm remaining hopeful!! Hope yours will turn out well... :)

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  17. Thanks for the tip about rooting Rosemary. I have all but given up on keeping these through the winter too. Thanks so much for stopping to share this on The HomeAcre Hop, Nancy. :)

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    1. Thanks for hosting Lisa and hope the rosemary works out for you...mine are looking good so far! :)

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  18. Lovely! I'm working on salvaging a couple of herbs over winter too, but they've been dehydrated and assaulted by tiny white spiders so we'll see how it goes :(

    Thanks for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday!

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    1. Oh, that's a bummer...Hope they make it!! Thanks so much for visiting!

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  19. Hi Nancy, I love your photographs, they are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your post and am delighted you popped by Seasonal Celebration Wednesday.Hope to welcome you back tomorrow! Rebecca @ Natural Mothers Network x

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  20. Thanks Rebecca, will do! Thanks for hosting too!

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