Spring Planting

            Within the next few weeks it will be time for spring planting. Which probably also means time for spring cleaning so that there is even room to plant anything. I currently have weeds and random vegetation occupying the spot where I would like to plant herbs. They moved in about September last year and began sprawling across my yard, taking up any open space. Well, the time has come to reclaim the dirt and prepare to plant something of value, like mint and parsley.

            I have tried for two years to grow vegetables rather unsuccessfully. My house is surrounded by trees and the most sunlight my “garden patch” receives is maybe a couple hours a day. Most vegetables and other plants need lots and lots of sunlight, and my yard’s just not cut out to provide that. In fact, there are virtually zero vegetables that will do well in only two hours of sunlight per day. Two years ago my tomato plant produced five tomatoes by the end of September, and I planted it in April. That same year I tried green beans, and after a promising start of growing two inches out of the ground, they pretty much stopped. There just wasn’t enough energy for them to soak up, no matter how much fertilizer and water I gave them.

So, needless to say, I’m learning about shade-loving plants. There are a number of flowers that grow easily in shade, but I don’t care to grow flowers. I want a plant that is useful, and herbs are certainly useful. I mentioned mint and parsley earlier, and both of them do quite well in the shade. They also do quite well in a dish known as “tabbouleh,” which is a very healthy and delicious salad made mainly with parsley with a dash of mint. When I first started making the salad, instead of fresh mint, I would simply spray the salad with a couple of shots from my breath freshener tube. I must admit, fresh mint is the much better choice, but in a bind the freshener will do.

Now, just because I don’t want to plant flowers doesn’t mean I don’t find them useful or want my yard to look nice. Flowers are useful because they add an element of beauty to their environment. To add some dashes of color in my yard, though, I’ll probably plant some anise hyssop or chives, because they flower. There are plenty of herbs that flower, giving them added value in my book. For the most part, I like decorative items to be functional as well as easy on the eye, whether it’s inside my house or outside. Herbs are fun to grow, beautiful to look at, and make food taste a bit better. You really can’t go wrong when you decide to start an herb garden.

If you have a yard that is conducive to growing sun-loving vegetables or fruit, I’ll strike a deal with you this year: you provide the potatoes, and I’ll bring the fresh rosemary and thyme to season them with. Should my herb experiment prove successful this year, I’m sure I’ll continue to try and find the perfect blend of vegetation in the coming years to create a beautiful, flavorful, and especially shady garden. Happy planting!