Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wanted to cook that Tuscan recipe that looks so yummy, got everything ready, but you just could not find that particular herbal spice at the grocer that makes all the difference? Or you simply forgot it or you have it but it’s not enough or it’s rotting in the fridge as you got it too long ago? Anyway you look at it, you just need a Tuscan herbal spices garden to have all the spices you want, whenever you want them, and most importantly fresh, which we all know when cooking it makes all the difference.
You may be thinking that this is too difficult to obtain, or that you live in a condo apartment with no garden, or even that you do not need it for you cook Tuscan once a year. Well, my answer to all those combined or any of those is that fortunately Tuscan cooking herbs are very strong, require little care, survive with the light you get from any window, require little ground, and decorate your house scenting it with fresh Mediterranean perfumes. What more do you want? I too live in an apartment condo with no garden, but I got my Tuscan herbs alright!
The herbs that you will be planting are rosemary (not the landscaping variety), large-leaf sage, basil, and pepper mint. Try to get already developed small plants, so your job will be much easier. If you have a garden, you also have some space to plant them, if you don’t grab a large vase (of any shape) that must be at least 1 by two foot and 7 inches deep (30 by 60 cm and 20 cm deep) so you have enough space to set all the plants and avoid their roots touching each other. The vase must have a whole at the bottom for excess water discherge. Also get enough pit moss.
If you have a garden: you can use the vase or cleanup a comparable area to the one measured above or larger then work the ground to make it soft, add in fresh pit moss, work it in, then remove each plant from their vase and set them where you want them to be for the rest of their life. Consider that rosemary and sage do not like each other all that much, so try to keep them well separated. Before planting the plants remember to open up the roots a bit to facilitate their growing in their new home. If the basil comes as a bunch of little sprouts with few leaves on, remember to separate the sprouts from one another as much as possible keeping the original dirt on the roots, then set them in a long row or two rows in your spice garden. Water the garden moderately and check that basil leaves are always above the dirt and not dirty with wet dirt. Be sure that you garden gets as much sun as possible.
If you leave in a condo apartment (no garden): grab the vase we talked about above then make a bed of pebbles and little stone on the bottom, then get your bag of fresh pit moss and put enough on the bed of stones to cover them all up. Now you can start setting your Tuscan herbs. You may start with the rosemary on one corner. Remember to break the roots body a bit with your fingers to facilitate airflow and make it easier for the plant to accommodate itself in its new mobile home. Set the rosemary and the sage as much apart from one another as possible, as they kinda don’t like each other. Set the mint in the middle if you wish, then it’s the turn of the basil. Since this will have very small roots, remember to fill all the gaps between the sides of the vase and any other whole. You will just need to poke a whole in the pit moss with one finger to plant the basil in. Then follow the instructions I wrote for those with a garden for the basil. When all is in place, water the vase moderately then set to get as much – natural or artificial or both – light as possible.
Here I used rosemary, sage, mint and basil, but you can also add or switch to any of the following: thyme, lavender (not for cooking), oregano, marjoram, tarragon,
You will need to water your plants once every other day, or every day depending on how hot and windy it is. Rosemary and sage are extremely resistant, basil will last you one season, then you will have to plant it again the following year. Also the mint is strong, and also tends to take up all the space, so prune it when necessary…then make a mojito with it!
Now you have your Tuscan herbal spices garden…ain’t that beautiful to look at?
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