Pot Garden Progress
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My growing deck garden in pots including favorite herbs. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
Pot Garden Progress
It’s been two months since I started my “pot garden” on my deck. The collection includes favorite herbs, lettuce, spinach, onions and a treat for my cats, catnip.
I’ve been growing in pots for decades. I started when I was traveling a lot for work but still wanted fresh herbs for home cooking. The pots made it easier for my house sitter to get them watered and I could easily access them the few days I was home.
The herbs have also spent many successful winters growing inside.
The same herbs overwintering in my dining room. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
One of my favorite herbs is parsley.
I have one pot that has overwintered at least 4 years. I added soil to it this year after admiring the thick stems it has developed.
A friend from France said those roots can be eaten like parsnips and are delicious.
And here are some of the pots getting a start two months ago. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
For comparison, here are the pots with lettuce and radishes end of March.
And there is one particular pot that only holds one special herb.
James A Mess in his favorite pot of catnip. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
Ettagirl, James A Mess’s sister, also likes catnip. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
So there is one pot that grows only one herb every year.
It’s become a favorite for both James A Mess and his sister Ettagirl Fierce Mess, two rescue kittens I found abandoned on a county road Memorial Day weekend 2020.
When James A Mess isn’t looking, Ettagirl gets her catnip time. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
Now they share the pot - well, most of the time - even if the catnip is a little worse for wear.
The pot garden grows now with tomatoes and peppers. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
I usually have flowers in pots scattered through the pot garden to attract pollinators. The pollinators help to increase the yield and the plants provide the pollinators with flight fuel and baby food. And yes, that means I let these go to flower after I harvest parts of them.
There’s enough to go around. Except for maybe the catnip!
