Tomato babies!

A few weeks ago I planted the remainder of my tomato seeds that were leftover from last spring.  I found a large pot in our shed and filled it with seed starting/potting soil.  I watered it thoroughly and left it out on our patio table since the weather has been sunny and mild.  My tomato babies popped up in no time and now are well on their way to being ready to plant in the garden!

calling in reinforcements!

Somehow or another my garden fencing has started to come down. It could be from the vicious tornadoes that torture us here in Austin (kidding!), but I would have to bet it has more to do with a certain doggie duo, to remain unnamed of course. My husband and I adopted a new pet friend a couple months ago, and while he has been a joy to have in our lives, my garden has paid a price for his presence. All hope is not lost though. On one of our many and frequent trips to the home improvement store I picked up a few supplies to rebuild my garden walls and regain its defenses against the dogs.  My list included: a spool of medium sized bailing wire, four additional garden stakes, and a refill for my staple gun.  After adding the support of the new stakes and securing the chicken wire with staples and bailing wire the garden is in much better shape. But, we will see how long it lasts, since the dogs love getting in there and sniffing around....or just to take a nap!

Beautiful Basil

My pot of basil is not only a beauty, it is quite fragrant as well.  It has been so nice to have some company in my lonely little window. Now it is filled with bright green herbs that smell as wonderful as they taste! On that note I am waiting until my herbs get a little large to start plucking their perfect little leaves and using them in my favorite dishes.  I went ahead and replanted the parsley and cilantro to see if it will sprout after a second try. But for now the basil is definitely winning the achievement award!

Saving Seed

dried cilantro seeds and stems

Last year I planted Cilantro in my summer garden. Then this year when I planted it inside as a part of my herb garden I didn't need to buy more seeds at the store for it because I was already prepared.  When my bush of cilantro stopped growing last season it "turned to seed" as it is called.  That's when it stops producing edible leaves and makes small little balls on its stems for reproduction of the plant.  When it did this I gathered all of the stems and seeds and dried them and saved them for the next use.  You can do this with many plants and vegetables from you garden so you have the seeds on hand next time you plant. For more information on seed saving visit
http://www.virtualseeds.com/seedsaving.html