Vacant Sill, Move-in Ready, Herbs Welcome

As I predicted, the little cleaning task was a veritable breeze. But it's amazing how one little, seemingly inconsequential step toward a new goal can really leave you feeling empowered and with a burly confidence that you will accomplish what you set out to do. Here's what the clean sill looks like:

I haven't dusted yet, and I plan on giving it a good scrub down, but the difference is already very apparent. As you will notice, I couldn't bring myself to remove the growlers and Shiva from their perch, but even still, I am proud of this sill! And excited to get the herbs up there! Can't you just picture 4 pots of bountiful herbs, lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, on the sill in front of the middle window?

Now that I have my growing space prepared, what is next? I plan on doing some more planning. After doing some more reading last night, I think I might want to modify the suggested starter project a little bit, which really just means changing some of the herbs that I will be growing. A couple herbs they suggested do best in part-sun, part-shade, and when it's sunny here, there is NO shade when the sun is on the front side of the house. I already started investigating which full-sun herbs I'd like to substitute for the part-sun, part-shade herbs. I am trying to factor in use while being mindful of color scheme. In my previous post, I only mentioned the culinary uses I had planned for the herbs, but I also want to use them to create infusions (teas), steamed inhalations, and if I get really adventurous, ointments and balms.

I also want to find out if it's best for me to grow from seed starting out or if I should buy some starter plants. I know the latter seems like cheating, but if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. Back when I first started thinking about herb-growing (and gardening in general), I came across a site for a garden center right here in the city that is specifically aimed at city gardening. The center is called the The Urban Gardener. At first blush, it seems like the center is geared more to actual outdoor gardening, but I plan on giving them a call to see if they can offer me some guidance; they offer consulting services, which I think is really neat. And hopefully they have seed or starter plants so I can buy from them instead of a larger supply chain (i.e. Lowe's, etc.).

In conjunction with tapping into this great, local resource, I think I might also get a couple more books from the library to supplement the one that I bought. My interest in herbs goes beyond mere fancy to enter the realm of fascination, and I really want to learn as much about them as I can, especially the ones that I will be growing. I am well on my way to becoming a crazy herb-lady: I've already got the crazy part mastered!