Herb Garden

There is a special satisfaction that comes from cooking with herbs and vegetables from your own garden. Beyond the feeling of self-sufficiency, beyond the satisfaction of knowing you are battling global warming, beyond the richness of garden fresh veggies and herbs,there is something intimate about eating food that you grew yourself. A satisfaction that is something akin to watching your child walk for the first time. It's the taste of accomplishment. Today I planted an herb garden in a raised bed in one corner of my veggie patch. It's the first time I've had a spot just for herbs. I used a rectangle made of 2"X10"s five foot by three foot. Then, I back filled the box with about 9 cu. feet of store-bought topsoil. I arranged my herb-starts in a formal garden style, each herb separated by a little stone wall. In a circle in the center I planted garlic. I've heard garlic is really easy to grow, so I just peeled some cloves and stuck them in the ground, just barely covered. Then, in each of the four corners I planted basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. These are my staple herbs. Along with salt and pepper and cumin, I pretty much don't use any other herbs. The radio is issuing a frost warning for tonight, so after I got everything planted, I built a little coldframe over the herb garden. All in all, I've got potatoes, onions, chard, squash and cucumbers growing and I've just planted carrot and corn seeds, which should come up in a couple of days. I'm looking forward to a bountiful harvest this fall. That is, if all my plants don't die from in the frost tonight. It's May 18th, for Chrissake.