Hi, I’m new. Thanks for accepting me! I have a potted winter garden in the garage. Does anyone else garden in their garage or basement?

December 25 isn’t just Christmas. It’s also National Pumpkin Pie Day, which makes it the perfect moment to celebrate the herbs that quietly make holiday baking and cooking extra special. Even if your pumpkin came from a can (no judgment here!), you can still grow the fresh flavor makers right now indoors, in containers, in the middle of winter. Let’s talk about the herbs that pair beautifully with pumpkin pie and other cozy winter dishes and how to keep them thriving indoors. 🌱 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐏𝐨𝐭” This is a simple, seasonal edible pot you can grow right now. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: * 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 – earthy, cozy, classic winter flavor * 𝐓𝐡𝐲𝐦𝐞 – subtle, savory, incredibly versatile * 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐭 – perfect for desserts, cocoa, and post-meal tea These herbs: ✔ tolerate cooler indoor temps ✔ grow slowly but steadily in winter ✔ don’t need constant harvesting ✔ smell amazing every time you brush past them 🪴 𝐏𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 You can grow these herbs together temporarily or separately. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩: * Individual pots (4–6 inches) * Excellent drainage * Light, airy potting mix If planting together: * Use a wide pot * Space plants well * Be conservative with watering Mint grows faster than sage and thyme. Keep it trimmed so it doesn’t take over. ☀️ 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 These herbs need 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 , even on short winter days. Best options: * South-facing window * East-facing window + grow light * 6–8 hours under a small LED grow light Without enough light, growth slows dramatically and flavors weaken. 💧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲) Herbs in December prefer slightly drier soil. Water when: * Top 1–2 inches are dry * Pot feels lighter * Leaves look firm, not droopy Never let pots sit in water. Soggy roots are the fastest way to lose winter herbs. 🥧 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 Even small harvests make a difference. 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞: * Add to pie crust dough (savory edge!) * Use in browned butter for drizzling * Perfect with roasted squash & pumpkin dishes

December 26 is 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤-𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 and while it’s often about thanking people, it’s also a beautiful moment to pause and reflect on something quieter - 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫. Container gardening teaches patience, resilience, creativity, and flexibility, often without us even realizing it. And after a busy holiday season, today is the perfect day to slow down, take a breath, and appreciate what did grow… even if it wasn’t exactly what you planned. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about gratitude. 🌱 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫) Winter is when gardeners are most likely to feel: * discouraged * disconnected from growth * frustrated by losses * impatient for spring But winter is also reflection season. Looking back with gratitude helps: ✔ reduce “I failed” thinking ✔ reframe challenges as learning ✔ reconnect you to the joy of growing ✔ remind you why you love gardening in the first place ✍️ 𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤-𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 (𝐍𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝) Grab a notebook, planner, or even your phone and finish these sentences: 🌿“𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞…” Maybe it was patience. Maybe it was resilience. Maybe it was that plants don’t care about perfect schedules. 🌿 “𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐦 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫…” It doesn’t have to be big. * One healthy herb * A single tomato * Keeping a houseplant alive * Starting seeds * Trying something new Progress counts. 🌿 “𝐀 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞…” Sometimes the plant we expected the least from ends up being the star. 🌿 “𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐲…” A quiet morning watering. A first harvest. A bloom in winter. A shared photo in the community. These moments matter. 🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 It may sound silly — but gardeners know it’s not. Plants: * show up quietly * grow at their own pace * recover after mistakes * don’t judge us for learning If a plant struggled this year, it wasn’t a failure, it was part of the process. 🌱 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫