I love fresh herbs in my food and try to use them whenever possible.
But buying fresh herbs at the grocery store isn’t a hassle. It’s propped up there near the fresh produce. Usually there’s too much in the package for my needs and the rest goes to waste in the refrigerator. So enter my miniature herb garden.
Overlooking the canyon is basil and thyme. Find the monkey.
It’s within easy reach on my kitchen windowsill and include my two favorite herbs: basil and thyme. Basil has multiple uses including paninis and pasta, and I use the thyme especially for marinades and poultry seasoning.
The windowsill herbs are a relatively new addition to the kitchen. Due to a lack of a backyard, they were grown on the patio but were infested with ants and dust. And prior to the windowsill, I actually contemplated the AeroGarden Herb Kit. But found the whole set-up too big and ugly. The whole hydroponics thing just smells of drugs to me (remember kids, just say no).
My Burning Kitchen 
I'm like you! I want a little herb garden, but our balcony doesn't have the right conditions (the dryer exhaust blows right onto the ledge) and all of our indoor plants have died. I also looked at that fancy indoor herb garden, but that thing is gigantic! Your blue glass is gorgeous…I'm a sucker for anything blue:)
Love all the blue hues, D. i found the monkey 🙂 Basil and thyme are right up my alley. i'm also an oregano fan, but then, i like Italian food. Would love a canyon view, btw! "Hydroponics" sounds like a line from "Greased Lightnin' " as sung by Danny Zuko.
love those blue glasses! I'm now trying my hands on grape tree at my balcony and thyme on organic soil & fertiliser… About ants, one of my friends told me to draw lines around the pots with a special insecticide chalks found in Asian countries. I tried with cloves as well – sometimes it works depends on the species. I also use talcum powder around the areas the ants frequents or crawls, mostly in house because of my toddler. Seems the ants hate powder on their feet… if not mistaken that's how they leave scents of their trails.
Yay! I'm glad you started the herb garden. Very nice. We used a lot of herbs in our cooking since we've been in Monterey — we just buy it in bunches at the market — but I'm going to try hard at growing a little herb garden when we get settled in Pennsylvania this summer.
I love the blue glass!
I love thyme, put some in a pot with boiling water and you have an amazing tea that is great for indigestion. It transports me to my grandmother's house! Also its great as Za'tar. Traditionally we Arabs eat Za'tar with bread, but since I stopped eating 'real' bread, I just have a teaspoon on its own once in a while. Its yummy!
I've been thinking about getting a small herb garden of my own. Blue is my favorite color!
Kim–Yeah, that indoor herb garden is monsterous. In addition, I've read complaints that they broke down a lot. Oh well. Good luck on a herb garden.Kleopatra–I think if I were to add another herb, it would be a toss up between oregano and rosemary. But they only had two of those blue planters and I love everything to match.Pixen–Thanks for the hints about lines around the pots. I think have read about it somewhere but didn't know it was as simple as chalk.Mrs. Wong–Oh no…! Pennsylvania!! Good luck on your move.Jodi–I love the blue glass too! My favorite color.London Girl–I've never heard of using thyme as tea. I'll have to try it. Thanks!Liz–I've been enjoying herb garden. It's pretty to look at as well as functional in the kitchen!
Looks fantastic! There was an episode of Cultivating Life (PBS) a few weeks ago that showed how to freeze it to add to soups or make pesto. There are projects on their website for container gardening – using a strawberry jar for an herb garden, for example. Your situation makes my small backyard look enormous!
Cara Mia–I'll search for that video on YouTube. Seems like almost everything is on there. Yeah, my "garden" is paltry. 😦
I love growing basil. I'm growing them from seeds for the first time this year and I have more than I can handle. I"ve also tried cilantro, but our consumption overpowers supply 🙂
Do you read The Kitchn or Apartment Therapy at all? These two posts made me think of you:Potted (mini) vegetable gardensSan Fran stoop garden
Sharon–Wow… I don't think my consumption of cilantro can equal yours. I have a friend who is actually repelled by the smell of cilantro while I find it appealing.Cara Mia–I do read The Kitchn and Apartment Therapy! (Love the site.) They are on my blog reader. I think I was influenced by the potted herbs and it forced me to restart a container garden again this year but on my windowsill.