Herb Garden Update

It appears I did something right when re-building the herb garden. As expected, I have not been diligent about daily watering during our triple-digit heat. Yet here it is, the middle of July, and the marigolds are still alive, well-watered, and thriving. Incredible.

The chives are suffering a bit from the heat, but still taste great with potatoes. I’m giving them a bit more water and snipping off seed heads as they appear. I wish I had measured the rosemary when I planted it; I think it’s grown a couple of inches. The parsley, on the other hand…I’d forgotten how slowly parsley grows. Folklore claimed that the reason it takes so long to grow parsley from seed is that it had to travel to Hell and back three times before it could sprout. I’m beginning to think mine is making extra trips.

Speaking of sprouts, the tarragon, thyme, and chives I planted from seed have all but given up. I’ll try again when the weather cools, but chances are I’ll have to wait until spring.

The basil continues to grow and produce two leaves for every one I cut. Unfortunately, it has also begun to produce flower buds.



Flower buds are great if you want seeds for next year’s planting, but flowering causes the basil leaves to become bitter. Since I want to continue to harvest leaves for pesto, I’m keeping a close eye out for flower buds and snipping them before they have a chance to bloom.

While chatting on the phone with a friend yesterday evening, I wandered outside to check the garden. I noticed something had been nibbling on the sage – two leaves had been eaten in a lattice pattern. I grumbled and snipped them off, but the damage seemed to be limited to those two leaves. This morning, I spotted the culprit and snapped this picture before I flicked it off my plant and into Never-Never Land. Or at least the neighbor’s yard.



You can click on any photo to see a larger image. Anybody know what kind of worm it is?