Gilbert grows herbs in his yard to use in his cooking. At the beginning of the spring, he planted three basil bushes, a parsley plant, and two kinds of mint. Halfway through spring, one of the basil plants dropped seeds from a flower and made an extra basil plant grow. However, a rabbit came by the garden near the end of spring and ate all the mint. How many herb plants did Gilbert have when spring ended? Let's answer step by step:
Gilbert planted 3 + 1 + 2 = 6 herb plants. He gained a basil plant when one of the basil plants seeded a new plant, so he had 6 + 1 = 7 plants. The rabbit ate both mint plants, so Gilbert had 7 - 2 = 5 herb plants when spring ended. The answer: 5.