I've always wanted to have an herb garden. Herbs are impossibly expensive at the supermarket (usually around $2 for a package, and you can't buy them in smaller units) and you don't tend to use them that much. But I'm a terrible, neglectful gardener - or rather, I'm not a gardener at all, so I've just mumbled and grumbled about wanting an herb garden and never really did anything about it.

Then, a few weeks ago, my 7-year-old daughter Mika started saying she wanted to plant vegetables. I figured if she was planting, I could be planting too, so I cleared out a section of dirt by the front porch and planted some rosemary, sage, chives and basil, plus some thyme and oregano in a pot I already had. The kids, meanwhile, planted some veggies in the back yard.

We've been meticulous about watering them every day - and they are finally paying off. The herbs are doing beautifully and actually starting to expand. Hey, the moment may come when they fight each other off :-)

Here are some pictures I took this morning. We'll be cooking with our herbs all week long (tonight I'll be making some pesto). I'll post recipes, if warranted.

And here are some of Mika's veggies & fruits:

And finally, some blackberries we've let grow: