I'm tempted to move on to rosemary.

[hannah]

After I don't know how many years, my basil plant's crumbled up and died. It was a slow process over a couple of weeks, a gradual withering, but today I knew it was over. So I salvaged what was left of it - most of the leaves, some of the stems - and I'll be using it in my morning eggs for a while.

I say "I don't know how many years" because I can't remember when I got it. At least three years ago, possibly four or five. Another bunch of herbs from the farmers' market I put in water to make last a little longer that put out roots into the jar and had me buying a pot and dirt to put it in. I guess it'd reached the limits of what I could do. Nothing left but to aerate the soil, give it some time to rest, and see about trying again soon. It's always nice to have some green around.

Comments

[akamarykate]

Just FYI, in my experience rosemary is a lot harder to grow than basil--fussier about what's too much/not enough water and ideal temp. But it's certainly doable.

I couldn't do without green things growing somewhere in my place. If you lived close I'd gladly give you some mint cuttings--that stuff grows just fine on it's own. Almost too well, the way it takes over any ground plots you put it in! ;)

[lilacsigil]

That's really cool that you kept it going that long! I grow basil every year, but it dies off at by winter.

Rosemary, OTOH, is the easiest thing I've ever grown. Bung it in the ground, off it goes. I have an entire hedge of it now. This may be different for inside growing!

[st_aurafina]

I wish I could keep basil going for five years! It's an annual in my region, sadly.

[lebateleur]

I feel for you, having recently lost a Thai Holy Basil that I started the same way. And I love rosemary, but like akamarykate I find it trickier to grow indoors. Same story with lemon verbena.