cmarchibald
Senior Cook
I really, really, really want to start planting some food-bearing plants. I buy so many fresh veggies it would be no trouble at all to start a compost bin (so I'm told), and there are some things I have trouble buying here that I would like to try and grow.
Couple of problems, though. I kill plants. Seriously, I'm a plant murderer. It's not really herbicide as much as it is involuntary plantslaughter. I don't even know how I do it! Growing up my mother had a house full of wonderful plants and a little garden here and there that just seemed to effortlessly sprout flowers and food. My sister has the green thumb, too. But in spite of growing up under both their tutelage and following their instructions to the letter, my plants just die.
I have people here who can help me get a garden started, it's what they do for a living, but I'm terrified I will kill everything!
The other problem is that many herbs don't seem to do well here in the Philippines. I don't really know why, it seems like they would thrive in the environment.
Example: You cannot buy fresh mint here, it's virtually impossible. You can't even buy dried mint. It's killing me because I love to cook with mint (I used to infuse my sweet tea with mint leaves). I have a small stock of dried mint I brought with me when I moved here, but since it's unavailable I've been guarding it like buried gold. I thought my mint problems were over when last November I came across a store in Manila that was selling some potted herbs, and one of them was mint. I bought the healthiest looking one, brought it home, asked all my gardening friends how best to take care of it and the answer was essentially "stick it in the ground, give it a bit of water and it'll grow like a weed...you'll never be out of mint again".
My mint was dead within 2 weeks.
So.....
Hope springs eternal. I'd still like to give an herb garden a shot. Does anyone have any experience or tips for growing herbs in a warm, humid environment?
Couple of problems, though. I kill plants. Seriously, I'm a plant murderer. It's not really herbicide as much as it is involuntary plantslaughter. I don't even know how I do it! Growing up my mother had a house full of wonderful plants and a little garden here and there that just seemed to effortlessly sprout flowers and food. My sister has the green thumb, too. But in spite of growing up under both their tutelage and following their instructions to the letter, my plants just die.
I have people here who can help me get a garden started, it's what they do for a living, but I'm terrified I will kill everything!
The other problem is that many herbs don't seem to do well here in the Philippines. I don't really know why, it seems like they would thrive in the environment.
Example: You cannot buy fresh mint here, it's virtually impossible. You can't even buy dried mint. It's killing me because I love to cook with mint (I used to infuse my sweet tea with mint leaves). I have a small stock of dried mint I brought with me when I moved here, but since it's unavailable I've been guarding it like buried gold. I thought my mint problems were over when last November I came across a store in Manila that was selling some potted herbs, and one of them was mint. I bought the healthiest looking one, brought it home, asked all my gardening friends how best to take care of it and the answer was essentially "stick it in the ground, give it a bit of water and it'll grow like a weed...you'll never be out of mint again".
My mint was dead within 2 weeks.

So.....
Hope springs eternal. I'd still like to give an herb garden a shot. Does anyone have any experience or tips for growing herbs in a warm, humid environment?