My Doha Herb Garden +

It may not look like much, but here are some pictures of my herb garden.  Growing a garden in Doha has been a challenge, so I am celebrating the small successes.  I have enjoyed putting fresh herbs in my soups, salads and dinners.  Here are a few pictures to prove it can be done 

Before-Mint 1
My mint does well in the shade, although it gets lots of reflected outdoor light.  This plant is an off-shoot of  my original mint plant #2 below.  Mint is extremely easy to transplant.  Just carefully pull out a "runner" and stick it in good soil!
Add water and Voila!  

After-Mint 1
Doing great!  I love the smell of fresh mint.  It makes me smile.

Before-Mint 2
This was my original mint plant obtained from an off-shoot of a plant in Al Jazi, outside the old Red-O club.
It does not like the hot summers, but, thankfully, watering brings it back to life.
It struggled to survive a few months back, when at least one of the workers in the compound asked if he could take some mint leaves for his lemonade.  I told him he could, but he harvested so much, the plant was almost bare again.  I am happy to say, I have given him his own mint plant now and mine have flourished again!  Hardy little thing!  

After Mint 2
It really likes the mild spring-like weather we have in Doha, especially in Jan and Feb.  

Before-Basil
This is my favorite basil.  I love the flavor.  It's  called large leaf Basil .  It grows great in the sandy soil here as well as in pots.  

After-Basil

Before-Backyard garden
Since this is the first time this soil has been used for a garden, I knew not to expect too much.  I added lots of good soil, and it was well turned and mixed, but the clay and sand are tough on seedlings.  The water does not soak in well.  I brought some peat pots to use as starters, but while I was in the states in Oct, the family did not water them and they were dead when I got back.  So much for getting a head start on my garden.  I replanted when the weather cooled off.  I re-used some of the peat pots by putting them directly into the soil.   Some of the herb seeds liked that environment better than being sown directly into the soil.

After-Backyard garden
I purposely crammed in as much as I could, figuring it was such a small plot, I could reach everything  with only one foot inside the fence.
Can you tell which side of the garden gets too much shade?

Before-2nd floor terrace #2
Compared with the backyard garden, the plants on the terrace grow faster, due to the extra sunlight.  I do not have a drip system yet, so these plants have to be watered by hand.  I ran a hose up to the 2nd floor, to make watering easier.  What I wouldn't give for a drip system!  

After-2nd floor terrace #2
I actually have small tomatoes forming.  

 

Before-2nd floor terrace

After-2nd floor terrace

Having greenery on the terrace outside my bedroom makes such a difference.  It literally soothes me to see green things thriving!  It's a little inconvenient to have to come upstairs to harvest my herbs, but it's still worth it!

You can see how much taller the tomatoes are getting by  looking at the railing.

So far this year the following plants have been successful in growing: dill, cilantro, basil, parsley, tomaotoes, tomatillos, thyme, chervil, sage, margoram, arugula, collards, green onions.  I still have not been successful with rosemary.  I am starting to compost, using vegetable peelings.  I look forward to next year's garden when the soil will be even better.  I hope to expand my greenery to the other terrace on the 2nd floor and the very large 3rd floor terrace.  I have to come up with a watering system for when I am not in town.  For now, I have a neighbor's maid water plants and take care of Emily when we are gone.  It would be nice to have a system going when the hot weather comes, as everything will require daily or twice daily waterings.  But, one thing is certain:  it sure does change the look of things from stark, bare and hot, to beautiful, green and cooler.