An indoor herb garden

Now even I, whose Native American name should be plant-killer, can keep my thyme alive.

I don’t know about you guys, but it drives me crazy to have to buy a big bunch of, fresh thyme lets just say, only to use a sprig or two before the rest of it dries up and shrivels away. Such a waste of thyme and money. Plus there’s all that packaging that ends up primarily in the landfill.

This year, I resolved to do something about this horrendous problem. Blissfully on my way (in my mind) to becoming an indoor year-round herb farmer, sprinkling good taste wherever I go, I bought a thyme plant, potted it, and killed it within two weeks.

Typical.

But then, enter my husband, with the most perfect birthday gift ever (also typical). The idiot-proof-and-also-attractive square planter from the Swedish company Cult. Here’s how it works:

The top part is made of unfinished terra cotta, natural, absorbent, historic (in constant use for 5000 years!). The plant lives in there. The bottom part is glazed, and the water lives in there. Once a week or so, you fill the bottom with water, and these canvas straps soak it up and transfer it to the hungry roots living in the top part. The plant drinks what it wants, when it wants, and you barely have to pay any attention to it at all.

Except for when that recipe calls for a sprig of thyme.

(Continue on if you want to get one of these things RIGHT NOW! Like for mother’s day… hint hint?)

The evergreen planter, as it is called, is available at Abode NY.

Of course, it’s actually time to start planting things outdoors… but hey we’ve had a couple of really cold nights recently, so I’m glad I’m still concentrating on my indoor garden. The outdoor stuff will come…