Window garden

I have enjoyed having a garden since I was a teenager. Growing up in Ohio we always had a big yard and some of my chores where cutting the grass and pulling weeds, but I also enjoyed planting and tending a garden which I never considered to be one of my weekly chores. We also had gardens at our houses in New Mexico but those required much more effort due to the lack of moisture and the bugs that seemed much more ferocious. Our last house in Corrales had an acre, most of which was wild sage and cacti with areas close to the house that I had converted into xerioscape gardens with native plants. I always considered spending some time out pulling weeds and planting things as a way to relax and unwind.

When we were in Anzio last summer I took up the task of tending the garden our host Francesca had for a yard and we enjoyed the flowers, lemons and herbs that her garden produced. Here in Ascoli Piceno we have no plot of land to call our own so I have adopted what I see so many others here in the compact centro doing…growing things on the window sill. Since the walls are over a foot thick and travertine sill is a foot wide there is ample room for a couple plants between the shutters and windows. I have allotted this precious space to a few herbs; basil, thyme and rosemary. If I am going to grow something why not have it benefit our dining table.