Kitchen Witch: Starter Garden

Recently I have been working on lowering stress levels, eating healthier, exercising more and focusing more on self care. There is also something that I have wanted to do for years. But always thought back to the days that left me wondering if I had a green thumb at all. I was (and still kind of am) certain that I have no green thumb. For the life of me I have never been able to keep plants alive. Even my snakes tongue (mother in laws tongue) gave up on me eventually! I’ve never been good with starter garden plants.

However, the healthier I have been getting the more I realize gardening and having something small growing would improve my health. In so many ways. So I thought, why not give it another go. This time while I’m not working full time while going to University full time. This time with more time on my hands, with less stress and more of a focus on what matters.

I live in a small apartment and decided that instead of buying all the many herbs I cook with now I would grow them, healthy and helpful! I’ve started slow and focused on growing these herbs as a form of self care. I started my own “starter garden” for beginners! Through taking care of these plants I am getting up and moving (even if it is the smallest bit) any movement is better then sitting around, anything you do now that you never used to counts as moving, counts towards your “daily steps.”

I focused on talking positively about these plants and my life and plans for them to them, this helps to focus on the positive and stay in the present. Growing these plants is acknowledging that getting healthier, eating healthier is a permanent part of my life now, and something I can enjoy and look forward to. So I made sure to grow all the herbs (and some succulents) that I have always wanted to.

Here is the start of that journey.

I decided to grow dill, mint, green onions, chives, bay leaf, sage, oregano, thyme and cilantro, along with some succulents rescued from work. I’ve decided on these plants because they are what I season my food and water with on a regular basis, ingredients I use in my everyday life.

I started slow, this journey starting with the succulents rescued at work. Remember, I never considered myself to be someone with a green thumb, so when “A” brought home succulents that needed a rescue I googled and took notes and got to work replanting and saving these little plants, and you know what? They’re still kicking! Go me!

After that success I decided it was time to try the herbs I’d wanted to grow for over a year now. Unfortunately, at the start of winter… whoops. However, I am inpatient and persistent and no Canadian weather will stop me! They will grow indoors! So off to Walmart I go for their herb kit which is great for beginners and some seeds and pots. When I got home I stuck it all in the cupboard and off to google I go. I researched and took notes and prepared everything ahead of time. I also started one at a time, first the herb kit, then the individual seeds another day, and the green onions from some roots left over from groceries later that week.

Then I waited, and watered. I paced and regularly checked, and waited and watered more. Until…

We have sprouts! (Sad sprouts, but sprouts nonetheless!) So I continue to water, they continue to grow and now I’m panicking, they’re growing! Oh my, they’re growing! Now they need replanting into larger containers and I am so unprepared for this to have worked! Oh dear!

However, not all of them have sprouted. The one I had really hoped for but worried the most about, the mint, hasn’t budged. I won’t lose heart though. This just gives me time to focus on the ones that are sprouting and try again with the mint next week!
Here (eventually) you’ll find the post about the steps I took for each herb and the oopsies and successes, and the reason behind each herb I chose to grow.

Stay tuned to see if the mint ever grows you beautiful beings you!

See Also: Kitchen Witch: The Herbs and Health Benefits , Yule Herbs, …

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