All the Dirt on Gardening

This is the year for basil in our garden. Each year it's something else. The eggplant year, the cucumber variety year - well, it's enough to say that every year we have a big mess of something to deal with. We donate any vegetables that become too abundant for us to use. Back to Basil - I planted 3 seed varieties with the goal of having enough to make plenty of pesto plus a winter's worth to dry in the dehydrator. We have enough to do it all. Here's the post about the Basil varieties I planted this year. http://allthedirtongardening.blogspot.com/2015/05/globe-basil-is-ocimum-basilicum.html There are four rows of plants in three locations around the place. So far, we've made one batch of pesto and filled the dehydrator once. Then, I watered and lightly fertilized the bottom halves of the plants with seaweed/fish fertilizer and continued to water the plants regularly. Now, as you can see, it's time to harvest again. This winter we will have enough of...

While some plants remain old fashioned, basil keeps moving ahead with the times. There are now over 60-types on the seed and plant market to choose from. Some have large leaves and are used in place of lettuce for a modern twist on low-carb wraps. As an addition to herb and flower beds, basil has something for everyone – tall, dwarf, bush shaped, columnar, anise, citrus flavored, spicy hot for Thai cuisine, sacred, African Blue, ruffled, red, and variegated. They are all Ocimum genus in the Lamiaceae or mint family, native to hot dry areas such as Africa and Italy. Give them full sun and a little water. The Dallas Arboretum named Basil Pesto Perpetuo and Basil Boxwood plants of the month for March. Last summer I grew a 3-inch pot of Perpetuo in a 5-gallon container where it grew 3-feet tall. The pale green, cream lined leaves have a fresh pesto scent. Boxwood grows to form a 12-inch tall globe. PHOTO-MY BASIL PERPETUO LAST SUMMER Gardeners preserve basil by drying it or making it into ...