You like gardening. Or, at least, you like things that grow in gardens. But you've got no space to make it happen.
What to do?
Plant an herb box!
Here's some advice from Dylan Kulik, our Grow & Tell contributor and assistant director of sustainability at Interlochen.
🌱 Look to tender herbs this time of year.
They're especially good for porches or patios with filtered shade or partial sunlight. We're talking about basil, parsley, chives, cilantro — things with softer stems, as opposed to stick-like stems.
Tender herbs like lots of water and really thrive in shadier areas.
Areas of full sun are good environments for heartier, dry herbs, like thyme and rosemary.
☀️ Do some sunlight tracking
Figure out where the sun tends to land throughout the day.
"If you have a day off and time to have a wonderful porch day to just chil, read, have a couple LaCroixs on the porch ... take a look at your sunlight," Kulik said. "If you have a wall you might want to experiment with something like a hanging box — a way to affix it to the top of that wall so it's 4 to 5 feet off the ground versus on the ground which would be a little more shady."
🦌 Prepare for 'browsing herbivores'
A physical barrier might be needed to keep out deer and rabbits — like a small chicken wire fence. The key is to find something that will let light through but will keep out the critters.
Smelly plants — like mustard greens or garlic — might also work. Marigolds and hyssop can also help. But the deer learn, dangit, and can eventually go right through them to get to the goods. So a physical barrier is probably a safer bet.
Grow & Tell is IPR's seasonal gardening segment. We do one of these a month. Have some ideas for us? Questions? Write to talktoipr@interlochen.org.
