Too funny! At least you still have the terrific yellow pots. You can always use one of them for your huge collection of markers, and perhaps other "crafty" things
Don't be discouraged. Get some new ones and try putting them in a different places. I find herbs very particular about where they want to grow. It took me a while to find the ideal spot.
3
Katie Apr 18, 2011
RIP little herbs.
4
Nothing But Bonfires Apr 18, 2011
Danielle -- I think they were also very particular about when they wanted to be watered (ie: regularly) and I was perhaps not quite so particular about when I did it (ie: rarely.)
Oh dear, that doesn't look good. At least you have cute little yellow pots though!
6
Abby Apr 18, 2011
Basil is hard to grow out of a pot. Maybe try planting it on the ground next time.
7
Heather Apr 18, 2011
But rosemary is still your friend! Maybe you need four little bright cheerful yellow pots of rosemary....
8
MS Apr 18, 2011
Herbs are kinda hard. I've killed a LOT of them. Rosemary is good cuz its a bit more forgiving...but ya, you def have to water periodically (esp on really windy days which makes me mad). Try again! Seeds are a cheaper way to go btw, and fairly simple to start. Sprinkle on your soil, take dry cleaning or sandwich bag and drape over each pot or all 4 to make a little sauna. Keep soil moist and once they sprout a second set of leaves, remove the plastic.
For $4.00 you could start completely over and have LOTS of spares in case this happens again...ya know, just in case.
Those pots - while adorable! - might do better with succulents, they're actually really small for herbs which will do better in larger pots or in the ground. Succulents might also handle your haphazard watering schedule better :)
Try chives. Nothing kills chives--mine sit in a window box outside all year round, when it's too cold to go outside for watering, and are always the first thing to come back up in the early spring. Thyme is pretty neglectable too.
11
Amy in StL Apr 18, 2011
Get yourself some plant pals - they're soil moisture meters that look like birds and sing when the soil dries out.
They're not cheap, but I have one in each size of pot in my house and that seems to work to remind me to water those plants.
It's hard to ignore a chirping bird for too long; you'll water the plants just to shut up the sensor.
A funny 'pride goeth before a fall' picture. In my 30s I was suddenly interested in plants and could (usually) be consistent enough to keep them alive. Try again later.
14
Nissa Apr 18, 2011
This made me laugh out loud. Not AT YOU, but just because this is how all my herbs turn out. Except my rosemary died along with the rest of them. They're fragile little things, herbs.
The Curse of the Yellow Pots strikes again! First they annihilated the roses, and now the garden herbs! They are like children from Village of the Damned of the earthenware planter world.
16
Linda_M Apr 18, 2011
You killed basil?! I have basil in a pot on my windowsill and it's threatening to take over the room.
17
anika Apr 18, 2011
dear holly,
i've been reading your amazing blog for some weeks now and am finally delurking to share something that helped me avoid having to look at the sad green corpses on the window sill: pots with a hydro system that only uses a cord. you water the pot every once in a while and the plants take the water they need via this cord thingy. my herbs are growing like there's no tomorrow! basil, thyme, sage - you name it.
mine is from a dutch brand called MEPAL ("hydro herbs pots") but i guess they'll have some (maybe even yellow) brothers and sisters in the san francisco area :)
good luck!! greetings from berlin!!
My potted herbs had the same fate as yours. Then last year, I finally had a garden to plant in, and all of a sudden, I had massive thriving herbs. The rosemary and thyme made it through the winter and the mint is starting to spring back. If your garden is sunny, give it a go!
It seems as if we share the same gardening gene. My mother, on the other hand, can make a dead twig sprout leaves and a beautiful flower. She loves her plants- and when she moved overseas, she REFUSED to give me her plants for safekeeping.
Water, yes. Regularly? Sure. But, do those pretty yellow pots actually have drain holes in the bottom? If so, you will want to set them on saucers, and make sure the water drains out of the pot itself. If not, then they are intended only to hold other (even smaller) pots that *do* have drain holes in them, in which case you will have to be super careful not to let them sit in their own run-off and rot. Which could very well be why the roses didn't thrive in those pots either.
Decorative pots? Lovely, but deadly if used incorrectly.
(Oh, *now* someone thinks to mention this salient little detail!)
25
Tracy D Apr 18, 2011
The mint might come back if you water it. I have thought I killed my mint twice now and it always comes back like a weed.
I killed a giant and beautiful lavender plant a couple months ago by pruning it and not knowing what I was doing. I removed the sad tumbleweed like remains last weekend :(
Herbs need tons of sunshine, water at least once a week, and very good drainage. Oddly, they don't need fancy potting soil. Most cooking herbs grow best in sandy, rocky soil where they have to fight for footing. I've found that mine like living in the ground better than in pots, and they like living outside better than inside. Perhaps you could hang a windowbox outside your kitchen window?
27
Ilsa Apr 18, 2011
I know the disappointment. When my family moved from Brooklyn (no space to garden) to Southern California (ginormous backyard!) 1.5 years ago, we were over-confident in our gardening skills. I hope the chickens (CHICKENS!) we're about to take on fare better than our basil.
28
Jala' Apr 18, 2011
I warned you about going to Argentina and leaving the watering to the roommates... no, seriously, sorry for jinxing your herb garden. I guess you'll have to try again.
Oh my god! I am laughing so hard. This is TOTALLY something that would (and has, oh so many times) happen to me! I feel for you and your not-so-green herb thumb.
That is just sadly funny. And unfortunately, I can relate. Five plants dead in seven months. Turns out our apartment doesn't get quite enough sunlight to sustain much. At least the pots are cute?
holly - i'm just wondering something. i don't want to insult your intelligence, but is there a hole in the bottom of each pot? y'see, if the water can't drain out of it, than the roots will rot causing the plant to die.
Apr 18, 2011
Too funny! At least you still have the terrific yellow pots. You can always use one of them for your huge collection of markers, and perhaps other "crafty" things
Apr 18, 2011
Oh no!
Don't be discouraged. Get some new ones and try putting them in a different places. I find herbs very particular about where they want to grow. It took me a while to find the ideal spot.
Apr 18, 2011
RIP little herbs.
Apr 18, 2011
Danielle -- I think they were also very particular about when they wanted to be watered (ie: regularly) and I was perhaps not quite so particular about when I did it (ie: rarely.)
Apr 18, 2011
Oh dear, that doesn't look good. At least you have cute little yellow pots though!
Apr 18, 2011
Basil is hard to grow out of a pot. Maybe try planting it on the ground next time.
Apr 18, 2011
But rosemary is still your friend! Maybe you need four little bright cheerful yellow pots of rosemary....
Apr 18, 2011
Herbs are kinda hard. I've killed a LOT of them. Rosemary is good cuz its a bit more forgiving...but ya, you def have to water periodically (esp on really windy days which makes me mad). Try again! Seeds are a cheaper way to go btw, and fairly simple to start. Sprinkle on your soil, take dry cleaning or sandwich bag and drape over each pot or all 4 to make a little sauna. Keep soil moist and once they sprout a second set of leaves, remove the plastic.
For $4.00 you could start completely over and have LOTS of spares in case this happens again...ya know, just in case.
Apr 18, 2011
Those pots - while adorable! - might do better with succulents, they're actually really small for herbs which will do better in larger pots or in the ground. Succulents might also handle your haphazard watering schedule better :)
Apr 18, 2011
Try chives. Nothing kills chives--mine sit in a window box outside all year round, when it's too cold to go outside for watering, and are always the first thing to come back up in the early spring. Thyme is pretty neglectable too.
Apr 18, 2011
Get yourself some plant pals - they're soil moisture meters that look like birds and sing when the soil dries out.
They're not cheap, but I have one in each size of pot in my house and that seems to work to remind me to water those plants.
It's hard to ignore a chirping bird for too long; you'll water the plants just to shut up the sensor.
Apr 18, 2011
I resemble this post. Like, a lot.
Apr 18, 2011
A funny 'pride goeth before a fall' picture. In my 30s I was suddenly interested in plants and could (usually) be consistent enough to keep them alive. Try again later.
Apr 18, 2011
This made me laugh out loud. Not AT YOU, but just because this is how all my herbs turn out. Except my rosemary died along with the rest of them. They're fragile little things, herbs.
Apr 18, 2011
The Curse of the Yellow Pots strikes again! First they annihilated the roses, and now the garden herbs! They are like children from Village of the Damned of the earthenware planter world.
Apr 18, 2011
You killed basil?! I have basil in a pot on my windowsill and it's threatening to take over the room.
Apr 18, 2011
dear holly,
i've been reading your amazing blog for some weeks now and am finally delurking to share something that helped me avoid having to look at the sad green corpses on the window sill: pots with a hydro system that only uses a cord. you water the pot every once in a while and the plants take the water they need via this cord thingy. my herbs are growing like there's no tomorrow! basil, thyme, sage - you name it.
mine is from a dutch brand called MEPAL ("hydro herbs pots") but i guess they'll have some (maybe even yellow) brothers and sisters in the san francisco area :)
good luck!! greetings from berlin!!
Apr 18, 2011
I am so glad I'm not the only one.
Apr 18, 2011
My potted herbs had the same fate as yours. Then last year, I finally had a garden to plant in, and all of a sudden, I had massive thriving herbs. The rosemary and thyme made it through the winter and the mint is starting to spring back. If your garden is sunny, give it a go!
Apr 18, 2011
You did just have a very sick cat...
Apr 18, 2011
It seems as if we share the same gardening gene. My mother, on the other hand, can make a dead twig sprout leaves and a beautiful flower. She loves her plants- and when she moved overseas, she REFUSED to give me her plants for safekeeping.
She said I'd kill them. The NERVE!
Apr 18, 2011
Well, at least the cat's alive. I'd say that's worth something, wouldn't you?
Apr 18, 2011
The pots did come with dying plants in them...
Apr 18, 2011
Water, yes. Regularly? Sure. But, do those pretty yellow pots actually have drain holes in the bottom? If so, you will want to set them on saucers, and make sure the water drains out of the pot itself. If not, then they are intended only to hold other (even smaller) pots that *do* have drain holes in them, in which case you will have to be super careful not to let them sit in their own run-off and rot. Which could very well be why the roses didn't thrive in those pots either.
Decorative pots? Lovely, but deadly if used incorrectly.
(Oh, *now* someone thinks to mention this salient little detail!)
Apr 18, 2011
The mint might come back if you water it. I have thought I killed my mint twice now and it always comes back like a weed.
I killed a giant and beautiful lavender plant a couple months ago by pruning it and not knowing what I was doing. I removed the sad tumbleweed like remains last weekend :(
Apr 18, 2011
Herbs need tons of sunshine, water at least once a week, and very good drainage. Oddly, they don't need fancy potting soil. Most cooking herbs grow best in sandy, rocky soil where they have to fight for footing. I've found that mine like living in the ground better than in pots, and they like living outside better than inside. Perhaps you could hang a windowbox outside your kitchen window?
Apr 18, 2011
I know the disappointment. When my family moved from Brooklyn (no space to garden) to Southern California (ginormous backyard!) 1.5 years ago, we were over-confident in our gardening skills. I hope the chickens (CHICKENS!) we're about to take on fare better than our basil.
Apr 18, 2011
I warned you about going to Argentina and leaving the watering to the roommates... no, seriously, sorry for jinxing your herb garden. I guess you'll have to try again.
Apr 19, 2011
hee hee. love it.
Apr 19, 2011
Oh, Holly.
Apr 19, 2011
Oh my god! I am laughing so hard. This is TOTALLY something that would (and has, oh so many times) happen to me! I feel for you and your not-so-green herb thumb.
Apr 20, 2011
That is just sadly funny. And unfortunately, I can relate. Five plants dead in seven months. Turns out our apartment doesn't get quite enough sunlight to sustain much. At least the pots are cute?
Apr 21, 2011
Oh dear, I am still laughing.. this is one really honest "before and after" post.
Thank you for making the rest of us feel better too :)
Apr 22, 2011
holly - i'm just wondering something. i don't want to insult your intelligence, but is there a hole in the bottom of each pot? y'see, if the water can't drain out of it, than the roots will rot causing the plant to die.
Jun 22, 2011
What is this?
Jul 05, 2011
A million thanks for postnig this information.
Jul 06, 2011
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