Gardening For Dummies

Herbs.

Always need 'em. Never have 'em.

It's tough to keep fresh herbs on hand. The store bought varieties go bad so quickly.

I would grow my own, but I don't have a yard for a reason. I can't keep plants alive.

Still, it's a pain and shame to run out to the market every time a recipe calls for fresh herbs.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see a simple, all-in-one basil kit at my local Ikea.

What a concept! The kit included:

a clear pot

soil tablet

seed package

Basically, everything I would need to create my own mini kitchen sill basil garden.

The directions looked so easy that even I, a novice, felt confident in giving it a go.

All I had to do was add water to the soil tablet (which instantly expanded in size to fill the pot), sprinkle the seeds on top and wait 10-12 weeks for the basil to grow.

And grow it did.

Signs of growth started within days.

Now, two weeks later, the basil shoots are about 1-2 inches tall.