Plant a Kitchen Garden

Fresh herbs add so much more to your family's meals. And to have them available at your fingertips when cooking is a welcome luxury. This is easier than you may think.

Consider growing a kitchen herb garden this summer.

Seeds can be purchased from print catalogues, at garden shops or health food stores and even online. For your first garden, I recommend attempting to grow (at least) one or all of the following: basil, mint, parsley, rosemary, and sage. These offer pleasant fragrances and a variety of uses when cooking.

Find a collection of old (I prefer the charm of mismatched) stoneware bowls and large mugs. Make sure that you add some rocks in the bottom of the containers for good drainage before adding potting soil and seeds. Place in the sunniest spot in the room -- preferably your kitchen window area because most herbs like partial or full sun exposure. Another fun project is adding additional shelving within your kitchen window frame to display your garden better. Shelving kits and materials can be found at you local hardware or home store.

Once your plants have matured, you'll be surprised just how useful they can be. I love making pesto from homegrown basil and parsley, or adding mint to refreshing summer drinks.

I encourage you to share this project with your kids. Not only will your indoor garden provide an opportunity to create a memorable learning experience with them, the other advantages include not having to garden outdoors in the summer heat and no pesky animals attempting to destroy what you've grown.