Ingenuity and a willingness to try equals awesome stuff!
Friggin GINORMOUS basil leaves the size of my hand. Like, from-the-days-of-the-dinosaurs BIG.
All the other basil plants are sizable but within a normal range. But this guy? I dunno whether his momma-plant overdosed on growth hormones or he snuck into my packet from a different variety, but he’s just HUGE.
So, yeah. I’m growing some BIG-ASS BASIL this year. You do you, buddy. I’m okay with that.
Succulents into surgery, STAT!
Now, I’ll admit freely that this particular bowl did not have a drainage hole, and I’d been careful to water it only very sparingly the past few months as I (attempted to) overwinter them on my windowsill. My apartment windows face east and west, but the east side doesn’t really get enough sun, so they spent the cold season getting just enough afternoon sun through the shallow bedroom window…
Of course the echevaria all got etoliated (leggy and weird-looking) but the aloe, haworthia, and suchlike made it through reasonably unscathed. However, they’d not yet been exposed to a spring deluge.
(okay, if I’m honest I’ll admit it — I completely forgot there was no drainage hole in this particular succulent pot when I sent them out for their summer vacation.)
First order of business: get the plants out of the soup posthaste to prevent root rot.
Next, dump the earth to dry for future use and put a drainage hole in the pot. Better late than never, right? This is a pretty easy procedure, but you will need a couple masonry bits to do the job – they’re designed to scrape through masonry, which (loosely speaking) is exactly what pottery is.
Supplies overall: A drill, two masonry bits (one small to make the first hole, one larger to make it bigger), some masking tape, and your pot.
Mark the spot where you plan to drill with masking tape – this will help prevent busting the whole darn container, and makes it a bit easier to dig through the glaze. Be forewarned: the first hole is gonna take A WHILE to drill. Use continuous pressure but be prepared that when it finally cuts through the drill will drop abruptly. Make sure whatever is underneath the drill bit is something that you don’t care much about damaging (hence my cutting board).
At this point I went back to my succulents, from which I’d rinsed most/all of the damp earth, and confirmed no root rot (yay!). They had a little relax on some paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Then I cleaned up the other two succulents, peeled off the dead leaves,a nd repotted the whole herd in fresh dry (preferably succulent-specific) potting soil. I did not water them yet, as dry earth seemed like the number one priority after the munchkin monsoon they’d been through.
And back out they went to rejoin the rest of the succulent village.
I should probably mention that I am 100% NOT a succulent expert. I’d never had any until last summer. I lost a few along the way, mostly to inadequate indoor light over the winter months. I’ve learned my apartment and porch can do haworthia, aloe, jades, snakes, and other “green” succulents quite well. Echevaria are gonna need some substantial surgery every year, but they’re so pretty I’ll probably continue to allow myself to be seduced into adopting them.
What, you may be wondering, is a plant fort? THIS is a plant fort!
I live in a small three-story apartment building on the east side of Toronto, built in (I’d guess?) the 60’s. There are shops below us, and the first floor of units is accessed by a large enclosed shared patio. When I arrived it was pretty well empty, containing just a handful of landlord-provided deck chairs and a couple tenant BBQ’s.
About five years ago I had the idea to build a sort of a pergola structure so I could sit outside without getting sunburned. The original version — constructed of bamboo poles secured in buckets of concrete, bound together with garden twine — was significantly more temporary than the current incarnation (see above). I hung a set of old white sheer curtains for a bit of privacy, and planted a few garden-centre plants in pots I’d scored for free. Thus, a plant fort was born!
Now, I don’t have a car, and there’s no way to take ten-foot bamboo poles on the TTC. How did I get the materials home? I bungeed them to my bicycle and pushed it home. It’s a bit of a running joke that I’ll find ways to bring all kinds of things home using my bicycle. I carried an ottoman home strapped to my back once. Almost every plant I’ve ever bought (including a full sized monstera deliciosa) has come home with me on my bicycle.
Each fall I decommissioned the fort and rebuilt it, because it was definitely not designed to withstand a Toronto winter. As you can imagine, this became a bit tiresome. I began looking for a more permanent way to achieve the same goal.
Enter the trellis. This one time, I came home from the big-box hardware store via minivan cab, because for the LIFE of me I could not figure out how to get home several 2×4’s and two sheets of lattice on a bike — a rare defeat. I think the whole purchase ran me about $70 plus cab fare.
Subsequently I added a ten-foot 2×4 across the front (literally walked it home from the big-box hardware store) and re-used an old piece of bamboo to make a centre brace. Over that I draped a discarded vinyl banner I got for free and secured with zip ties to keep the rain and sun off. It’s all still a work in progress, with each summer bringing new improvements. Last year I built DIY earthboxes with water reservoirs out of old rubbermaid-style bins to plant veggies in (more on that in another post). This year I spray-painted some of my uglier accessories a dark teal colour I just love. For the record almost everything in the plant fort (pergola walls notwithstanding) was obtained as hand-me-downs, found-on-the-curb scores, or via Freecycle.
Every morning all summer I head out with my coffee and breakfast, along with the #tinykittenarmy, to hang out with the plants and enjoy the beginning of the day. Sleepy cereal shot from today offered as evidence…
This is all by way of demonstrating that even without any spare cash or significant skillset, a little bit of ingenuity and a willingness to try can result in awesome stuff. What I didn’t know how to do, I googled. It’s super-fun and satisfying, and I learn a lot with every project. That’s pretty much the mantra of Lemonade Season, and a big part of the reason I’m sharing all this with you.
Some herbs you grow to cook with, or top things with – basil, parsley, and cilantro are probably the most familiar examples.
Some herbs you grow to snort ’em. No, not like drugs. Like aromatherapy. Or at least, if you’re me, you do. Two of my favorite herbs to have growing on my porch that qualify are Lemon Thyme, and Lemon Basil. Not only do they smell amazing, but they add a lovely extra something to any dish you use them in.
Lemon Thyme looks just like regular Thyme, except its got a little extra pale yellow around each tiny leaf. I stumbled on it at my local big box grocery store garden centre a few years ago, took a whiff, and I was hooked. Every year since I buy two starter pots, plant them in my big hand-me-down terracotta urns and enjoy them all summer. I literally run my hands through them on my way in and out the door of the apartment in order to smell the lemony goodness on my hands. It’s easy to grown, and will tolerate forgetting to be watered. Needs about 6 hours of sunlight a day to be a happy lemon camper.
Lemon Basil was my new discovery two years ago. Again, purely by chance I stumbled on some Lemon Basil seedlings at my local asian market store. I’d never head of such a thing before, but as soon as I smelled them I knew I had a new favourite herb. Lemon Basil has smaller leaves than “regular” Basil with a somewhat paler, lime-ier colour. Like most Basil, Lemon Basil needs its soil to stay moist and a goodly amount of sun – mine do fine in about 6 hours a day.
Last year I went looking for more – this is a NON-OPTIONAL herb for me – but there were none to be had for any price. So this summer when I decided to try to start a few veggies and herbs from seed (more on that in another post), I made a point to get my paws on some lemon basil seeds. I planted them and watered them and hoped at them … They’re still tiny yet, but they’re growing fast and soon will be ready for outdoor transplant.
If you can find either or both, grab ’em. SO YUMMY.