As much as I’d love to think otherwise, history has proven I don’t exactly have a green thumb. But I keep trying.

We love Thailand and Thai food, so my wife wanted fresh Thai basil and chili handy. Problem solver that I am, I cleared a little space for a garden, got some seeds, germinated them, and finally planted them. Months later, I had little plants about 8 inches tall—healthy and thriving. For once, this was going great!

Then summer hit—hot, dry, and demanding daily (sometimes twice daily) watering. And here’s the kicker: we’re leaving for two months, right in the middle of it. After all that effort, my plants were doomed.

So I figured: if they’re going to die, why not experiment?

My first idea was a small greenhouse. Space was tight, though, and I wasn’t sure if it would trap too much heat and cook the plants instead of helping them.

Then I tried something different… Came back 2 months later and to my amazement, this is what I found:

Maybe my “bad green thumb” just scored a few redemption points after all.