Fresh herbs can completely change a dish, and you just never know when you’ll need a few leafs of basil, some fresh parsley or a sprig of rosemary. I’ve always tried to keep some kind of herb in my fridge, but it seems like I have rosemary when I need parsley, and basil turns brown so, so quickly! This summer, I’m determined to battle my brown thumb and grow some herbs on our tiny balcony. It gets lots of morning light, so the only issue these little seedlings have to worry about is me. I’ve had them for a few weeks now and they seem to be thriving, but if you have any tips for growing basil, rosemary or parsley then I’d love to hear your advice!
In fact, they’re doing so well that I’m considering trying some other plants. I’m dying to try tomatoes, maybe cherry tomatoes. Is it difficult to grow potted tomatoes? I would love sage and thyme, but I can’t find seedlings anywhere and starting them as seeds just seems like I’m increasing my chances of complete failure. What about you, do you have any favorite herbs that you grow?
Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create some cute plant markers for my “garden.” I just love a tiled look, and I also love the organic feel of wood. I had some leftover multi-colored wooden tiles from my DIY cell phone holder post, which turned out to be just perfect. I found some pre-cut pieces of wood to mount the tiles on, added a stake, and there you go! It was a fun afternoon project, especially once I tried my hand and drawing a few little images of the herbs on each plant marker.
What you’ll need:
Wooden tiles like the ones from this post, or Scrabble tiles
Pieces of wood cut slightly taller than your tiles and slightly longer than the word you want to spell out
wood glue
permanent marker or paint pen
spray waterproof or outdoor sealant
popsicle sticks or flat wooden sticks
optional: Mod Podge
What to do:
1. Optional step: My tiles had some grain to them, so the ink bled when I tried to write directly on them. I just put a quick layer of Mod Podge (or your sealant of choice) on one side of each tile and let it dry for about 20 minutes.
2. Spray the bigger pieces of wood and the popsicle sticks with the sealant, to protect them from the elements as much as you can. Dry according to instructions.
2. Write the letters on the tiles to spell your desired word. Draw any extra pictures or embellishments. Coat with a layer of your sealant and allow to dry according to the instructions.
3. Use wood glue to secure your tiles to the larger piece of wood.
4. Use wood glue to secure your popsicle stick to the backside of the larger piece of wood to form a stake.
