Urban growing

Plants are like people--they need to be cared for, basic necessities met, and each plant has different, individualistic needs.  When all these things are met, they bloom and change with the seasons and it's so interesting watching them grow.

This is my first time growing several different types of herbs and flowers inside my home, which is on the 5th floor in downtown L.A.  It's not easy growing things in our place because 1) sun only comes in through one side, and 2) there are no window bug screens (industrial windows) so bugs keep coming in attacking my babies.  I've killed many plants since picking up the hobby and I just move forward with a different plant and learn as I kill--I mean grow.

The varieties I have are dwarf basil, sage, flat Italian parsley, peppermint, chocolate mint, creeping thyme, and marigolds.  Here are some shots after recently harvesting them and some tips I learned:

Top: Peppermint; Bottom: Chocolate Mint.  Mint is very invasive so needs to be planted separately or in a pot.
They prefer very moist soil and can be harvested year round.

These were the offspring of my original dwarf basil plant, and they are doing very well.  The soil needs to be consistently
moist and loose so their roots can breath.  Before they blossom, harvest them from the top to encourage extra growth.

Sage is very easy to grow.  This is my window box garden (you can see the cars from the parking lot in back)
They require little attention and prefer moist soil and is drought tolerant.  I just wish these guys
were bird tolerant cuz I swear they be taking them for their nests.  Trim them back late spring by 1/3rd.

Freshly picked dwarf basil.  You can see the flowers on the bud in the front.  When I saw that I immediately harvested all
the other basil plants so they won't bloom.  The flavor of the herb is less strong once they bloom.  Basil is best
kept at room temperature in a bag, rather than fridge.

Sage drying on a tray, single file, best in a cool location away from direct sunlight.

Flat Italian parsley on top, and chocolate mint I picked yesterday on bottom.  You can see the mint is a little wilty by now.
I need to research what's the best way to keep them fresh.

Chocolate mint when I first picked it.  It smells so delicious...it really does have a chocolate scent to it.