STARTERS & MARKERS

I finally found enough time this last weekend to finish my starter seeds. I guess I’m still on Idaho time because I am now four weeks behind for spring planting in Texas. As you can see I used egg cartons and toilet paper rolls to create starter beds for the seeds. I found it helpful to tape sections of paper rolls together and label them with the type of seed. Because the cardboard absorbs the water I set them on a tray next to a window. Most of what I grow in my container garden is herbs for cooking and cut flowers. Since I lost almost all my plants to the Idaho winter and/or the stressful move to Texas I had to start from scratch. My basic shopping list includes:

Basil (trying a Lime Basil this year that I’m very excited about)
Oregano (great for making French bread)
Sage
Mint (got to have it for those summer time drinks)
Chamomile
Lemon Balm
Strawberries
Heirloom or African Daisies are a must!

I know what you’re thinking, “Where’s the good stuff like tomatoes and rosemary?” Well, as much as I love growing them neither of us eats many tomatoes and the other basic herbs like rosemary, thyme, celery and dill are not herbs I use frequently. I use Basil, Oregano and Sage for cooking because it suites my taste palette; and I use Mint, Chamomile and Lemon Balm for making drinks. I also found I’m more drawn to certain fragrances. For example, Common Sage reminds me of home in Idaho and Pineapple Mint has a refreshing summery scent. I suggest you pick the herbs or flowers you use the most or ones that have a special meaning to you because you’ll enjoy your garden a whole lot more.


Because I’m now in Texas I found cactus seeds are fairly common so I decided to try some for fun. Above is a picture of my little cactus growing garden I put together out of mini terracotta pots and an old bread pan. I actually got a little too creative and probably would have been better off just spreading the seeds in the bread pan. However, it actually worked out to my advantage because unlike most seeds the cactus pots must be covered with glass during germination to create a greenhouse effect. I didn’t have a piece big enough for the bread pan but due to a recent household accident I had several smaller pieces of glass that fit over the terracotta pots perfectly. I’m hoping in a couple weeks I’ll have cute baby cactus like these that I can arrange in other indoor/outdoor pots to make cactus gardens.


While I’m waiting for my seeds to grow I decided to work on another project making garden markers. I simply started by researching on Etsy what other people were making and found one I wanted to recreate myself. If you don’t have time or resources to make your own, here are a few suggestions to buy garden markers:

Set of 10 Cooper Plant Markers at Takit $23



Rustic Ceramic Markers $10 each



Engraved Silverware Markers $6-8 each

Hammermann
Wooden Hive

And my favorite handcrafted garden markers by Daisy Chestnut $8-12 each.


I’m attempting to make something similar but with images of vintage botanical prints. I’ll let you know how they turn out!