If you live in an apartment or a studio, where you don’t have any space for a real garden, then a mini garden is for you. What probably comes to your mind is why you would want one anyway. Well, mini gardens can serve two main purposes. First, it serves as an ornamental earthly piece to your otherwise manmade abode. Secondly, your mini garden can give you home remedies, stress relief, or spices depending on what you grow.
That being said, it is best that you first determine what you should grow. Different plants have different levels of tolerances to different climates. One plant may survive through the winter while another won’t. One plant may need a lot of sunshine while another may die if you keep it under the sun for too long. Try to figure out which ones you want to grow. Now, on to how you can make a mini garden.
The first thing you need is a plant box. Any container will do, but one of the things you should consider is the size. The ideal size of the box is one big enough to grow several plants at once, but small enough so it can fit through a window – or at least small enough that every plant gets some sun when you put it by the windowsill.
Depending on what you want to grow, you can either fill the container with earth and plant the seeds on it or you can grow the plants on smaller individual plastic containers. When it comes to purely decorative plants, however, such as flowers and whatnot, it is better that you put them in individual pots, which you can place outside the window by means of plant boxes.
As the title implies, this post leans more towards frugality and cooking in particular, so here are the top three culinary herbs that you will want to grow. Most of these are flavor enhancing spices.
Basil
If you’re fond of pasta, then this is the first herb that you’ll want to grow. Along with pasta, basil is also good for any dish that makes use of tomatoes. Basil isn’t just for pasta or tomato related dish, however, as you can put them in steaks and other tasty meat dishes. Try putting basil in your morning egg omelet and you’ll find that it tastes a lot better. To grow basil, you can sow the seeds or transplant them. If you have seeds, sow them in spring. If you transplant, do it in the summer.
Parsley
Parsley is one of the most useful herbs out there. In fancy restaurants, parsley is served with meals for two reasons – it is a garnish and a breath freshener. That being said, having your own supply of parsley can save you trips to fancy restaurants, allowing you to cook the dishes by yourself and save on money. At any rate, parsley is also good to salads, soups, and omelets. To grow parsley, plant them during the middle of spring. For winter parsley, you can plant them midsummer. Soak the seeds overnight before planting, and give each plant a ten inch space from another.
Chives
Are you crazy for onions but not want something different? Go for chives instead. Chives are good for salads, potato dishes, and sandwiches. When growing chives, do so in early spring. Each plant should be about a foot away from each other.
Having your own mini garden allows you to save on buying herbs and spices. When it comes to frugal cooking, you can instead bombard your dishes with these herbs and spices to make a small dish all the more flavorful. Good luck.
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