Finally!!!!

Deelady

New member
Wow! Simply beautiful Mama!! I am esp. jealous of your HUGE basil plants!! My small itty bitty one is holding on for dear life!! lol Any pointers for basil to make sure it thrives and produces large leaves??

Great harvest loboloco!!!
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
Wow! Simply beautiful Mama!! I am esp. jealous of your HUGE basil plants!! My small itty bitty one is holding on for dear life!! lol Any pointers for basil to make sure it thrives and produces large leaves??

Great harvest loboloco!!!

Miracle grow garden soil.
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I'm new to this gardening thing but I got this from The University of Georgia's Agriculture site:

Container Plantings
Herbs grow well in urns, hanging baskets, strawberry pots, and other containers as long as the light, moisture, and fertility requirements are met. Use a good lightweight, well-drained artificial soil mix, not garden soil, for container-grown herbs. Container-grown herbs do not have access to surrounding soils, are more likely to dry out quickly, and must be watered regularly, even daily. Containers should have drainage holes so excess water can escape. Regularly empty any water in the saucers under containers to prevent roots from deteriorating. Uniform monthly fertilizing keeps herbs lush, but be careful to avoid fertilizer salts build-up. Water containers sufficiently so the water runs through the holes in the bottom of the container.

This might help too:
Growing Basil In Pots

Basil is a very popular herb for growing in pots. It goes well in almost any dish made with tomatoes, cooked or raw. It also tastes great with fish, meat, rice, and even some fruits!
Basil needs heat, and will not grow in cold climates. You cannot successfully grow basil indoors unless you keep your home warm, or unless you have one room in your home that you can keep warm enough. If you set your air conditioning to under 75 degrees, you will probably have serious problems growing basil indoors.
Basil can be grown from transplants or seeds. Starting the seeds is not particularly difficult, but if you can find the variety you want as a transplant in your local nursery, it is probably best to save yourself the trouble. Of course, buying seeds and starting them yourself might be cheaper, but only if you already have everything you need other than the seeds. I would stick to using plants if you can find what you are looking for. If you simply must start your basil from seed, follow the directions on the packet.
You should use a standard potting mix with a bit of sand and dolomite lime added. Simply fill the pot with soil and plant the basil transplant at approximately the same level it was in the starter pot. Pack it in a bit, then water lightly to settle the soil. It's that simple to transplant basil!
Basil grows best when it is very hot, and when the soil is allowed to go dry between waterings. Overwatering this plant will cause a serious lack of flavor, and may even kill the plant. Of course, it does need to be watered, and you shouldn't let the soil stay bone-dry. But going a day or two between waterings is good for basil.
Never plant basil before the night time low temperature is consistently above 50 degrees F. If you must, you can cover the plants at night, but the warmer the weather is, the better they are likely to do.
You should fertilizer basil when you plant it with a high-nitrogen plant food. Then you should fertilize it once more in the middle of the summer. It does not need to be fertilized often.
You should harvest the last of your basil before there is any threat of frost, no matter how light. Even the lightest dusting of frost, something that most other plants would not be harmed by at all, can devastate basil. Even the lightest frost can turn basil into a shriveled black nightmare. Trust me, bring your basil in before any threat of frost!
To harvest basil, simply snip off the number of leaves you need. To stimulate nice, busy growth, you can also pinch off an inch or so of each branch, but don't get carried away. Basil is subject to diminishing returns. If you pinch too much, you'll only encourage it to flower and stop producing as much foliage. You should harvest the larger, darker leaves, as they have the most flavor.

Source: http://www.container-gardening-tips.com/container-herb-gardening/growing-basil-in-containers.html
 

Leni

New member
Hi fellow gardeners.

The female flower will have a small round thing at the base of the flower. That is the ovary.

Basil wants to flower like crazy so you will be fighting an ongoing battle with them. The blossoms can be used just like the leaves. You want to use a 30-10-10 fertilizer.

The first number is nitrogen which promotes the growth of leaves which is what you want here. The numbers will be on the bag of fertilizer. The second number is for flowers and the third is for stems and roots so choose according to what it is that you want from the plant.

Most people have a tendency to overwater a plant. I would recommend that you get a water meter. They are not that expensive and really will make a difference.

I love this for the fresh veggies.

Slice tomatoes, cukes, red onion, and bell peppers together into a container. Add 1/2 red wine vinegar and 1/2 water to the container until the veggies are covered. Add in whatever herbs you want or not as you choose. Put this into the refrigerator. I serve this on a bed of lettuce and add more veggies as needed. Same for the liquid. By the end of the season the liquid is a wonderful mixture of all of the veggies and is a great base for whatever.

Mama, your garden looks beautiful. For a first timer you are doing a great job. I would suggest that you trelis or make a tepee for that plant that is going all over the place. That will keep it in place and keep the fruit off the ground. If the fruit is heavy it can be tied up using old nylons or something similar.
 
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