Basil-the Fragrant Full Flavor Herb

Basil is an upright herb that grows edible pink, white, or purple flowers. Basil grows in a bushy form. Common or Sweet Basil will grow up to 3 feet high. Its leaves are very spicy and its blooms are white or pink. The main difference between the varieties is taste. Basil flavors range from clove and cinnamon to lemon and licorice. When brushed the Basil bush smells wonderful. Growing Basil near your kitchen is a good idea so it can be picked fresh for cooking.

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Basil is categorized by its leaf color: purple or green. Some of the

green-leaved Basil varieties include Anise Basil, Cinnamon Basil, Compact Green Gem Basil, Lemon Basil, Lettuce-leaf Basil, Mexican Spice Basil. Purple-leaved Basil comes in Dark Opal Basil, Mulberry Dance Basil, Purple Basil, Purple Fringe Basil, Purple Opal Basil, and Purple Ruffles Basil.

Planting Locations

Basil has several different purposes bedsides culinary. Growing Basil beside tomatoes will repel Tomato hornworms and other pests that can plague tomatoes. Basil can also serve as a human insect repellent. Plant Basil near an outdoor sitting area. Lemon Basil will repel Japanese beetles. Gently rub its leaves to release the scent and deter insects.

Purchasing & Planting

When purchasing Basil plants chose strong plants with numerous stems. Do not buy plants that are overgrown. Avoid Basil plants with pale or dried leaves and those plants that are potbound. When planting your Basil dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the plant’s pot. Add a thin layer of gravel to the bottom of the hole. Mix equal amounts of compost or manure with the soil and replace some back into the hole. Remove your Basil plant from the pot and place it at the same level it was growing in the pot. Fill in with soil and firm down.

To maintain your new Basil plants spray with liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks or after each harvest. Be sure to handpick all weeds and remove any debris that might harbor slugs. Keep your Basil plants watered but do not leave water on the leaves. This can cause brown spots. Try using drip irrigation. Once the plant has 6 leaves cut the stem just above the second pair. This will cause your Basil plant to branch out yielding an early harvest.

Growing Tips

Basil likes full sun. Growing Basil plants must get at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. Basil will grow in partial shade but only in the hottest areas of the country. The soil must be well-drained and moist. Basil loves rich soil so be sure to mix in compost before planting. Basil flowers are edible but have a more mild taste than the leaves. To extract the best flavor possible from your Basil freeze the leaves. Frozen leaves will turn black but will keep their flavor.

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The archenemy of Basil is the slug. To prevent slug infestation spread diatomaceous earth around the seedlings. Be sure not to mulch, as this will attract slugs. A piece of metal that sticks out of the ground around your Basil plants makes a great slug stopper.

Seasonal Care

For seasonal care begin in early spring. If growing Basil from seed sow the seeds indoors about four weeks before the last frost. Replant into individual pots when the Basil plants have two sets of true leaves. In late spring plant Basil outdoors. In the South plant every four weeks for a continuous harvest. During the summer keep your Basil plants from flowering by pinching their stems. After each harvest more branches will grow from the stem. Harvest plants every week or so.

Varieties of Basil

When deciding what type of Basil to use focus on the flavor you prefer. Green-leaved Basil comes in several varieties. Anise Basil has fringed green leaves and pink flowers. Anise Basil, as its name suggests has a spicy flavor with licorice overtones. Growing Basil of this type is a great idea if you like Italian Tomato dishes. Cinnamon Basil has shiny green leaves and small pink flowers. The intense cinnamon flavor is laced with sweet Basil essence. Compact Green Gem Basil is a dwarf variety only reaching 12 inches tall. This Basil plant is perfect for edging a flowerbed. Lemon Basil has pointy, light green leaves with a lemony flavor. Lemon Basil is perfect for tea and potpourri. It repels Japanese Beetles. Lettuce-leaf Basil has large long wide leaves. This Basil has a sweet somewhat spicy flavor. Mexican Spice Basil has a sweet spicy aroma and purple blooms. It is good for drying. Try using it with fruit or cheesecake.

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Purple-leaved Basil also comes in many varieties and flavors. Dark Opal Basil has purple-fringed leaves and is very aromatic. Mulberry Dance Basil has leaves with mulberry splotches and an anise scent. Purple Basil with its lilac flowers has deep purple stems and leaves. Purple Fringe Basil is a medium sized plant with deep purple leaves, violet flowers and a licorice scent. Purple Opal Basil has deep garnet purple leaves with pink flowers. The leaves have a sharp bite and work well in herbal vinegars. Purple Ruffles Basil has large deep-fringed leaves with a mild flavor. It looks very nice as an ornamental plant.

Quick Facts

In general Basil can spread up to 24 inches wide and 40 inches tall. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and the leaves cast off wonderful aromas. Basil can be grown in all zones in full sun with well-drained moist soil. This annual can be harvested all summer.

Easy Steps to Container Gardening

Those that live in apartments or homes with small landscape areas are not limited to their gardening choices. This is where container gardening comes in, as it offers you the opportunity and versatility of gardening in small spaces. Container gardening is a way to garden in difficult conditions yes, but it also offers the convenience of versatility in the kinds of gardens you want to have.

The beauty of container gardening is that you can move your gardens around as they bloom or as the seasons change. Better yet, containers will conserve water better than soil will so maintenance is a little less intensive.

The first thing you want to do is choose the kinds of container you want. Here is your first step at creativity and imagination. You can make your own using standard terra cotta potters, or you can choose from an immense selection of containers at your local garden shop. Play with the colors and designs of your home. You will soon see that with all of these choices, container gardening is actually more fun.

The second thing you will need is soil, and here you can use any potting soil. You will see that some may dry out faster than others, and that some are heavier. You want to match your soil with the plants that you will be using. It is safe to mix and match here until you find the soil that is most cohesive with your watering repertoire.

The third thing you want to ensure is that polymers are being used in order to stretch your water use. These are crystals that will turn your water into what looks like a holding gel and their function is to keep the moisture of your soil consistent and to conserve your water. A lot of potting soils will already have these mixed for you, and some you may need to purchase it separately.

Now comes the fun part, potting your plants! Here again you can play with your color palettes, your locations, and the flow and bend of your living space be it outdoor or indoor. The best part here is, no matter what you choose, you can always change it tomorrow.

Container gardening is a lot of fun for the creative gardener. Whether your space is large or small, container gardening is an excellent way to accent those empty areas in your home.

You May Want to Consider Indoor Gardening When Temps Drop

Many gardeners go through some sort of outdoor withdrawal when the temperatures start to drop, and gardener’s depression is very common. What can you do with your hands and your love for plants when it’s no longer official ‘gardening season’. Well, the first thing you need to do is get it out of your head that gardening season begins and ends. It doesn’t. Yes, you CAN garden all year round, and one way you can do that when it starts to get cold is to begin an indoor garden.

A unique way to develop an indoor garden is through the use of exotic plants. Exotics are bright, energetic, and give your indoor living space a unique edge. What you need to do is consider the conditions under which you will be creating your indoor garden. Exotic gardens are ideal for indoors as these plants will thrive in relatively regulated temperatures such as those indoors. The biggest key to your success will be in your soil and its nutrients.

Bonsai trees, philodendrons, ivy, freesia, and orchids are beautiful plants to maintain indoors and will all thrive under excellent indoor conditions. You can get plant food to add to the soil you use to maximize the soils nutritive value, and you must maintain a constant water flow. If you maintain your indoor garden with plenty of soil food and plenty of water, that is really all you need for a successful garden, as these plants otherwise take care of themselves.

Ways to enhance the creativity of your indoor garden are with decorative pots, garden beds, and table beds. Table beds are a new and creative way to display your exotic plants in a unique setting.

Indoor gardens with exotic plants require very little work other than standard food and water maintenance. They offer the advantage of brightening up your living space while you wait for the long winter months to unfold into spring.

Fall Gardening With Container Gardening

Many gardeners fear the colder temps, but don’t use this as a chance to get down in the dumps. No, now it is time to put your real creativity to the test when it comes to gardening, and one way that you can do that is through container gardens. Container gardens are a beautiful way to keep your garden blood pumping, and there are a wide variety of fall annuals that you can choose for your containers. Here are some tips on making the most of your fall container gardens.

Flowers that are still growing well in this weather you will find are spread all among your various pots, so consider combining your many flowers into just a few pots. You can even take this opportunity to add some new plants to existing pots.

Remove old plants, and put away any containers you are no longer using. Your new pots can be situated in strategic locations that will quickly catch the eye, or where you can enjoy them the most, such as outside your kitchen window or by a patio door.
Summer annuals that are able to withstand cooler temperatures include million bells, nemesia, bidens, geraniums, red grass, gerbera daisies, diascia, and verbena. Even if you have never tried any of these annuals, their color alone is worth a start.

Bring you annuals inside then for the winter if you like to brighten up your indoor space. You will want to ensure they are located near your brightest areas, watered regularly, and don’t be afraid to pinch them once in a while to keep them bushy. You also want to wait until February for any fertilization.

After you have brought them inside, it won’t hurt to spray with a smidge of insecticidal soap to ensure you aren’t bringing any guests inside with you. If you are keeping your annuals outside however, make sure you are aware of what your pots are made of. Terra cotta pots will chip as freezing starts, but iron or fiberglass containers do very well outside all year long.

Slugs!

Just call my man the slug whisperer… He never lived down the reputation so creatively given by our neighbours. It all started years ago when we decided to plant a herb garden and the basil was scented by slugs from a 20 mile radius. Slugs like basil, it appears. We caused a mass exodus down the back gardens in our street. Our neighbours were fascinated, and rather pleased, I’d imagine…
I digress. We tried everything we could, having young children and pets. My aunt told us to save all our eggshells, crush them and place them around the plants. The eggshells were carefully draped around the bed and the rain came, burying them in the soil. Someone else said to cut a plastic drinks bottle to form a cloche over the seedlings, which worked, but then the plants grew… a hungry hedgehog with attitude issues was borrowed from a friend (we told it we ran a holiday camp) but was returned after it destroyed the potato planting. We strew ashes, my brother designed a battery powered electrocution system which fried my toes. In desperation (and this is where the slug whispering comes in), my husband took to setting the alarm clock to 2am, grabbing a torch and picking up each individual slug to throw over the garden fence. They invariably came right back. The neighbours were not amused by the slugs being flung  into their gardens but thought the sight of a grown man with a torch gingerly picking up slugs at well past midnight every night was hilarious. As you can imagine, these nocturnal rendezvous had to stop when Mr Slugman started falling asleep at work.

Finally, I found out about beer traps so we spent two days designing a beer trap that would work for our needs. The traps went in, and for some reason the man of the house decided to be creative with the beer. We had not been told which beer worked best, you see. We bought a selection, from your cheap French lager to the best independent Somerset dark ale. Guess what we found out? Slugs are discerning individuals. They went for the dark ale!