We Will Have Cilantro

I believe I will still be doomed in the gardening department.  Barely a hint of green in any of the tomato and pepper starters.  Maybe someone who really gardens can tell me it is ok-don't give up hope.  I do have success to report though.  Not one, but both of the Cilantro pots is sprouting!  I am also getting a little peek of the parsley as well.  One of each pot was for my mother in law, who sadly, did not get her herbs on Mother's Day.  We ended up forking out $9.00 for a spring bouquet of cut flowers. There was delicious Godiva chocolate bars as well, so still a lovely gift, just not the more original and more heart felt one I thought we were going to give. DD#2 painted her a series of water colors and made them into a card as well. It would have been quite lame to hand over a couple pots of soil, as that was the state they were last Sunday.  The week made a nice difference.

The parsley is on the right and you might just see a little green stem. The sad little starter pots in the back ground are the tomatoes and peppers.  We shall speak no more about them. I kind of like my farmers market and farm stand vendors anyway.

I am not really a fan of cilantro. A tiny little bit in a homemade salsa or pico de gallo is ok, but I am at a loss as to what else will be done with it. I have many friends who either make themselves, or have mothers who make delicious pho, the Vietnamese, though I associate it more with Hmong, noodle soup.  I don't enjoy it this way, but others love a heaping handful on their steamy soup. Besides being accomplished pho makers, my friends are also accomplished gardeners and I would get a polite, but "you are clueless" smile gifting them my crop of herbs.

Though I am at a loss as to what will actually be done, I won't let that dim my light. I will be internally  basking in the glory of a small bit of success.

The $3.73 Tomato

I’m going to give raising at least a few of my own vegetables and herbs a try again this year.  I managed to get parsley and cilantro in seed pots for both myself, and as part of a Mother’s Day gift for my MIL. I hope I didn’t start too late, and at least something pokes it’s head above the dirt line.  I gave two weeks.  I also am braving things again and started three tomato plants and three pepper plants using an organic seed starter.  I followed the direction on the little package, and now am crossing my fingers that something will come, and I can transfer to bigger containers.  I’m not even attempting the ground this year. 

That is how ignorant I am about gardening.  I have tried off and on, always unsuccessfully, to do a little vegetable patch.  I’ve either planted too close, and the vines strangle the other plants, or I’ve failed to water enough or watered too much, or I’ve let the weeds take over.  There are jokes a plenty about how a single zucchini seed can feed a small country.  It is a good thing I am not the gardener in that country as I’ve never gotten more than a couple spindly looking things. Last year though, I did mange one healthy looking tomato plant.  I even put some wire and sticks to get it to stand out, and the plant produced three lovely, firm, juicy tomatoes, and two smaller, but still tasty ones.  We savored one sliced on bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, and two others on hamburgers. The small ones came with me to work and were eaten with salt and pepper, alongside a hardboiled egg for lunch.  They were an expensive indulgence though.

$3.45 bag of top soil

$1.29 wire and sticks

$3.90 three tomato plants

$8.64  Total

$1.73 per tomato  Ok, I exagerated a but in my title but the point is clear.

I bought many more last summer at a local farm stand. The farm stand price per tomato varied between 3 for $1.00 and $1.00 a tomato, depending on supply and demand in the growing season. Yes, I could go bankrupt continuing my gardening delusion. I still take a little pride in my attempt, and think there was something satisfying in eating the ones grown myself. I’m giving the gardening container a try.  So far I have $6.00 invested in the seed starts for the tomatoes and peppers.  I will need some good soil when it is time to move to bigger pots, so probably another $3.00 or so. I will consider a return of 6 tomatoes and 6 peppers a success!