Forget the pitiful harvest. My tomato plants are coming out (except for the Sungolds, which are still producing, tiny as they are) this week-end. Those brown things on top are the mature seed pods of the basil plants. Each pod has 4 parts, each with about 4 little black seeds in it, so you can get a huge number of seeds from even one stem of flowers. I rub them out between finger and thumb over my palm or a white piece of paper, then throw the plant waste in the bushes. I let these get away from me a bit and flower early, having harvested WAY too much basil last year. I did not learn how to make pesto until this year, because I needed a low-sodium version, and we don't have pine nuts around here. I grew basil this year from saved seed, and it worked, though I did wind up buying a few plants extra to try to deter the tomato hornworms. When the tomato plants got taller than the basil, the basil had no apparent repellent effect. However, the urge to pose at the top of the plant in the evening when I was watering DID lead to the demise of several of those nasty critters. Lord willing, the garden will be cleared and ready for fall crops by the end of the week-end.
No comments:
Post a Comment