Jojo..Thank you so much..:-)Nope, no more blonde moments and Mom send you a a big hello! She tells me she may want to visit you if we head to Arizona...:-) Jodik..Thank you for your common sense in understanding it was simply a mistake in forgetting to water, and thank you for your confidence in my ability to nurse them back to health..I couldn't of done this without the mix I use, or by adding more water retentive material, or the support from all of you...The roots would of rotted by now if the dead fine roots had been allowed to take a long time to sit in a damp mix, especially this time of year. Considering it is not the first time I forgot to water, like 5 years ago when I was using bagged heavy mixes, I still forgot! We know why they came back this time and not in the past.... It is not even inconveniant for me to water in the gritty mix at all,which I can not understand why it would be for anyone. If anything much more so in the crappy heavy mixes that rot plants in a quick amount of time should be! Here is what an inconvenience was to me before I use the mixes I do now.... 1. Having to worry if I was ever going to see my plants dry out before they rotted. 2. Having to replace my plants every time I over watered after I watched the croak. 3. Having to deal with gnats everytime my roots started to rot and mix stayed wet to long and then spend money and weeks on traps trying to rid them. 4. Never being able to leave my room a lot colder like I do now so I can avoid pest issues and encourage flowering because the mix I use to use would not dry out and even develope mold issues. 5. Having to spend money on replacement plants everytime I killed the same one I loved over and over and not being able to locate some again. 6. Having to watch my clay pots turn white from salt depsoits and look ugly. 7. Having to worry about fertilizing and salt burn. 8. Having to watch a plant die, instead of come back after a an under watering mistake, because the roots were to weak to take up water before the mix could dry out causing death. 9. Having to deal with dropping yellow leaves every single winter and through out the growing season because of poor root systems.. Oh, I could keep going, but to me, it was more inconvenient to use crappy mixes, soils, or any other than what I use now.. The only thing for me that I have to worry about is this.. I can't forget to water when needed. I would much rather deal with this one inconvenience than all the other inconveniences brought on my using poor mixes.. Hugs to you too!! Thank you all for all your support and kind words... Pug...:-)))))))))))You are wonderful as always! Mike

Hmmm... I wonder if those aren't the flower buds you are seeing that you are thinking is new growth? If this is a winter bloomer, that is probably the case. (Sounds familiar because I made that same mistake in the past!)

Yes, for both these plants, you eat the leaves. You can eat them fresh, or you can harvest them and let them dry (for these plants they'll lose their flavour a bit), or you can chop them and freeze them or freeze them whole for future use. Fresh is best for flavour - so yes, it's just a matter of 'cut, rinse, chop (optional), cook (optional) eat!' You can eat the flowers of both these plants, too, but if you're such a beginner, you probably won't want to! If you're planning to grow other herbs, it's important to know which part(s) of the plant are edible. Depending on the herb, the edible part(s) could be leaves, buds, flowers, seeds, bark, roots. If you're not sure, ask first! Basil likes as much sun as you can give it. It also likes heat. It's an annual, which means it usually dies after one growing season. Coriander (cilantro) will probably bolt to seed in full sun, so give it partial shade. When you see the leaves beginning to change shape, and flowers coming along, that's when it's bolting. Let it happen, and seeds will eventually fall and you could end up with lots more plants. Most gardeners recommend you start again with coriander about every 2-3 weeks - it's a very short-lived plant, especially in warmer climates. The most important thing you can provide for your plants is good drainage. Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of your pots (one in the centre isn't good enough). Water thoroughly, and allow the excess to run out. Never allow potting mix to dry out completely, or it becomes water-repellent. Do the Finger Test to find out if your plant needs watering. Poke your finger into the soil as far down as it will go. If the tip of your finger feels cool and moist, no need to water. If dry - give the plant a drink. Plants in pots need much more frequent watering than plants in the ground. Don't let your pots sit in a puddle of water - this means no saucer under the pot. Most plants don't like wet feet (roots sitting in water).

Do you have a single sink, or a double? I have a double and I put in on the side where I would soak dishes. It all depends on where you would use it most. Left or right? Some people have their dishwashers on the left, some on the right, and have different ways of washing their dishes, so it's more which side YOU would use. Also depends on where it would fit. Remember the bottle sits below the counter, so there has to be enough room for that. You wouldn't want to drill the hole and not be able to fit the bottle underneath because it hits the side of the cabinet or the sink or something! That said, there's also something called Never MT. It's a tube/contraption that goes from your dispenser and is attached to a Costco sized soap bottle under your sink. If you're going that route, make sure you have room to place that big bottle underneath. (P.S., I have the Never MT and love it! It's there since end of September and haven't thought about it since.)