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For years, we have heard about kids who enter items into the county fair.  They enter all sorts of things, like decorated cakes, home made pickles, drawings, hand sewn puppets and poems.  And every year, when my kids ask why they didn’t get to enter anything into the fair, I feel just a little guilty that it had completely slipped my mind.  Thanks goodness for 4-H this year.  Being a member has exposed us to opportunities that we had never considered – we are raising chickens for the first time, and we are actually entering a few items into the county fair…finally.

This year, the fair has partnered with Marin Master Gardeners.  They have generously provided containers, organic soil and herb seeds to the first 20 children who signed up to grow a Container Garden for the fair.  Never mind that the seeds they gave us were from 2005 and may (or may NOT) grow…It is a good opportunity to test the waters and see if black thumbs run in the family.  Because the weather is still a bit nippy this time of the year, we started our seeds inside, on the ledge of our bathtub, where they get lots of light.  We had to cover them with some netting to protect them from our senile cats who taste every plant in our house (and then usually barf them up later).

Fortunately, at least some of our seeds have started to germinate.  The basil sprouted first, followed by the parsley.  We have one single solitary sprout of thyme – and zilch in the oregano section of the box.  But I hear that oregano takes awhile…especially if the seeds are 4 years old.  (They were donated, so I suppose I should quit complaining.  I mean – it’s not like the kids self esteem is caught up in the success or failure of growing herb seeds.  Right?)  Wish us luck – I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  Do you have any tips to help us along the way?