Mon Petit Jardin

Last week, my friend Cat brought me some herbs from Normandy, and I thought, “Excellent! I can put these right outside of my kitchen window in a sweet little window box and that’ll be so handy!” Then I realized the dryer won’t let my large vertical window open more than a few inches, so I decided to put my herbs in my living room, which turned out to be a great idea.

I’m hoping that since I have them next to the window, which is open most of the time, anyway, they’ll think they’re outside and be just fine. Right now I’ve got basil, thyme, mint, chives and rosemary, and I’d like to find some oregano, but so far I’ve not seen any.

I scored this vintage galvanized wash bucket at the Porte de Vanves flea market last weekend while I was taking a couple from Richardson on my Brocantes, Bistros and Baguettes tour. I didn’t want to buy new terra cotta pots at the hardware store and was looking for something old that would work as a planter, but I wasn’t sure what. This bucket turned out to be just the right size. It’s much smaller than what you find in the U.S, and it’s well-used. I turned it over and looked at the bottom and you can see where it was put on an open flame and used to boil water for washing clothes.

I hope my herbs will be happy now that they can stretch out their legs. I was a little worried about their feet staying too wet, but I bought these little clay balls at the Bricolex and poured them into the bottom of the bucket. Hopefully this will provide the drainage the herbs will need as they grow.

Pesto, pesto, pesto.