Spring has finally sprung…HALLELUJAH!!! The warm weather has me itching to get outside and start digging the the dirt. Or are you still looking at drifts of snow outside your kitchen window? Even if you can’t start working outside in your garden just yet, you can still start with an herb garden indoors for your kitchen window. You can easily make it extra adorable with some bright paint and some fun whimsical embellishments that will have you smiling every time you’re in the kitchen.
Supplies:
- Terra cotta clay pot
- Acrylic paints, in assorted colors
- Paint brushes
- Air dry clay
- Glue
- Toothpick
- Potting soil
- 4 inch potted herb plants, i.e., Parsley, Thyme, Oregano
Start with an inexpensive clay pot.
Clay pots are my favorite out in my garden, but I wanted something a little brighter and more cheerful for my kitchen. Something to chase away the winter blues.
I chose a bright turquoise color to paint the pot.
Then I added polka dots all around the pot to add some whimsical charm. Dip the end of a paintbrush in some paint and start adding dots. Easy peasy! No paint skills needed to do this.
Now that the pot is looking festive, it’s time to plant it up! I visited my favorite local nursery, Green Acres, for the herbs I am using in my container. I chose a flat leaf Parsley, Oregano and thyme. These are herbs that I use most often when cooking. You could also use a small Lavender plant for some color, Sage would be a lovely addition with it’s silvery leaves, or Basil.
I would stay away from mint and chives though. They have a more invasive habit and are better planted in containers on their own. They don’t play well with other herbs. Choose a trio of plants, and look for plants in different heights for the most visually appealing composition.
Place a stone at the bottom of the pot to prevent soil from leaching out when you water your little container garden.
Fill your container about half way with a good organic potting soil. You are planting food, so you want a good quality organic soil to grow your plants.
Add your herb plants and fill with additional soil, tamping it down lightly with your fingers to secure plants in place and the top level of the soil is about an inch below the rim of the pot.
Water them in well and allow excess water to drain off.
Add a bit of whimsy by making a little mushroom embellishment made of clay. This is completely optional but it’s so easy to do and costs just a few pennies. Well worth your time, I promise.
I used air dry clay left over from another project to make a mushroom but you could also use a salt dough that you can make using just a few basic ingredients in your kitchen. Check out how to make salt dough here. It’s the perfect medium for making the most adorable gingerbread men ornaments at Christmas time too.
To make a mushroom, roll out a tube of dough and place it on a toothpick.
Next roll out some clay and flatten it out. Cut out a round circle shape.
Place it on top of a small ball of clay and use your fingers to shape it into a cap shape.
Place on top of the tube of dough stem with a dab of glue. Let clay and glue dry overnight.
Paint the mushroom stem and the underside of the cap with white paint. Paint the top red.
Once red paint is dry, dip the end of a paintbrush in some white paint and add dots to the mushroom cap. It’s the same process as when we added polka dots to the pot.
Allow paint to dry completely.
Pop your mushroom in your planter for a fun unexpected pop of color and whimsy.
Place your container in a sunny location like a kitchen window. Herbs will do well in a sunny window but if you don’t have a sunny location indoors, placing your container outside in the sun a few days a week will ensure the herbs grow best. Most herbs are sun lovers and thrive best in the sun but they are pretty forgiving and will tolerate some shade. Be sure to water those plants regularly.
It’s so convenient to have fresh herbs in my kitchen right where I need them. I love being able to snip off just what I need when I’m cooking. Fresh herbs add so much flavor to all your recipes. I hope you give this fun and easy project a try. It will bring a smile to your face all summer long and add loads of flavor to everything you cook up.
Did You Make This?
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-3