Technically, I have all the herbs I could possibly need growing outside in my garden. But I kept thinking how handy it would be to have some live herbs growing within arm’s reach of my stove. So when my wife came home with these little pots that she saw on sale at the grocery store (she knows me so well), I knew just what I wanted to do with them.
For my herbs, I picked up thyme, rosemary, oregano, and catnip (for the cat, not for us). Four inch nursery plants just barely fit in my small pots, so I don’t expect them to grow much. I also asked Clara to drill some holes in the bottom of the pots. (Why do so many indoor flowerpots come without drainage holes? Don’t the people designing planters have any plants of their own?)
After I had planted my herbs, I needed to figure out something to use to catch drip. One of my favorite things to use for small pots are these cork coasters from IKEA. They only cost $2 for a pack of two, and they have a lip which works well to catch water overflow. I originally bought them to use for their intended purpose, beverage coasters, but they very quickly found their way under various little houseplants. Now I consider them a staple to buy in bulk every time we go to IKEA, along with wooden clothes hangers and lingonberry preserves.
The cork coasters work okay on their own as planter trays, but some water does soak into the top layer of cork, so I’ve started finishing my coasters with a spray sealant. I used Mod Podge because that’s what I had on hand, but any water resistant sealant should work. I sprayed on about four coats, five minutes apart, and they were ready to use.
My herbs seem to be thriving so far on their East-facing windowsill in our dining room. They are so pretty that I hate to even trim any of them for culinary use–maybe they will be purely decorative after all. I’m also not sure if any of them will survive over the winter. From what I’ve read, rosemary and thyme can potentially survive indoors year-round, given the perfect conditions. I like plants, but I’m not sure my thumb is quite green enough to provide those perfect conditions. If they start to look sad in late fall I might transplant them into the yard and use the little pots for something else. Gardening is an ongoing experiment at our house.
Thanks for reading, and happy planting!
The Artful Roost 