Hoping for a Green Thumb

I get in these phases where I think I can do anything. One day its making 99 cakes in a year, another its cheese making, and the next its gardening.

So for I'm 1 for 2 in the cakes/cheese making ventures but hopefully this venture will up my record.  I planted a few seeds about a month ago (basil, mint, and parsley) and they finally started sprouting in the past few weeks.  It was incredibly exciting to discover that I didn't kill them and that they could actually grow.

So then my plans expanded to flowers, fruits, and vegetables. You  name it and I wanted to grow it (well maybe not weed). This past weekend, I got sick of studying, drove to Walmart, and now my patio is covered with flower pots.

So here's what I have going on now:

Basil
Mint
Parsley
Rosemary
Strawberries
Chives
Brocolli
Red Tulips
Lavendar

Pretty impressive, right? But keep in mind that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

I've heard that my grandmother on my Dad's side used to have an excellent green thumb and was great friends with and inspired by the lady who planted Mynelle Gardens in Jackson.  Apparently Mynelle's entire yard was filled with daylilies and a dozen other types of flowers.  She sounds pretty hardcore because she even had a greenhouse in the yard.  My grandmother gardened with her and apparently had tons of daylilies in her own yard; she also cross pollinated them and named the new ones as she went along.   I called my dad to ask him about it and he said her garden was beautiful.  I would love to have seen it.  I wonder if it looked anything like her friend Mynelle's. For those of you who haven't been to Mynelle Gardens, this is what it looks like:

(this image is released to the public domain for any purpose)

When she died my dad dug up all of her beautiful daylilies and re-planted them at our house. They're still there today and that was over twenty something years ago.

But I'm not sure if having a green thumb is hereditary and if it is, I'm almost positive that I didn't get the gene.  The only thing I've ever kept alive long term is my aloe plant that my roommate and I bought freshman year of college and named Vera. Vera's still doing well and comes to my rescue whenever I get a sunburn. 

Needless to say, I don't think my garden will ever look like her's but if I get one piece of broccoli or one strawberry from the deal then I will be happy.