Committing Herbicide

After much figurative weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, I finally summoned the intestinal fortitude to take a pair of tweezers (as per suggestions I saw on a couple of message boards) and thin my baby herb plants.

Actually, I only tackled the oregano and the sweet basil, as the others still seem (at least to my newbie gardener eyes) relatively uncrowded for their particular stage of growth. And I have no idea if I thinned them enough, or too much… or whether my method was correct or dead wrong… but I suppose we shall see!

After the deed was done, I reminded myself that I am growing these herbs for eating, after all… and so I sampled the thinnings. The sweet basil was just ok – still not mature enough, perhaps, to have achieved full flavour (though the smell is divine) – but the oregano… oh, the oregano! Young as it is, the oregano tastes pungent and earthy and lingering, a promising prelude to some as-yet unconcocted batch of spicy pasta sauce that will simmer on my stovetop in the not-so-distant future.

For those keeping track of my herb garden’s progress, I share with you the latest photos for your perusal, including the results of my thinning bravery. As always, clicking on each photo will take you to the larger version on Flickr.

(Pssst… my sage is now up!)

Chives

Sage

Thyme

Parsley

Oregano (before thinning)

Oregano (after thinning)

Basil (before thinning)

Basil (after thinning)

The results of my bravery

Hopefully now that I’ve committed herbicide for the first time, the discomfiting process of baby plant thinning will get easier. And having had my first taste of the fruits of my labours adds a whole new dimension to this little venture!

So, how is your garden growing?