Growing Basil

Genovese basil in the garden 2010.

Basil is one of my favorite herbs.  Thanks to enthusiasts who are most likely chefs as well as gardeners, there is a basil out there for just about every taste you could imagine.  Being an annual, basil grows well as a indoor plant as well as a summer grown garden herb.  Last year, I only grew Genovese basil and thanks to the huge amount of ravenous slugs and cold weather, my little plant did not grow to much larger that what is shown above.


From left to right:  Genovese basil, Spicy Globe (Greek) basil, Siam Queen Thai basil

This year (2011), I am trying three varieties that are pictured above.  Genovese basil is a staple in Italian cuisine and is also the most commonly found variety.  It produces large leaves that have the classic basil flavor.  Spicy Globe, aka Greek basil, is a smaller leaved variety that I have never tried before.  It grows much more compact and the leaves are much more pungent in flavor.  Thai basil is one of my favorites for Asian cooking.  It is very strong tasting and does wonders in dishes with curry and chiles.  The plant itself is also very ornamental with its dark purple stems and darker green leaves.


Planted basil seeds with plastic sandwich bags over the tops.

Using the technique for planting the bell pepper seed, I filled three containers with potting soil and then moistened the soil before planting the seed.  Basil seed is smaller than pepper seed, so I surfaced sowed the seed and very gently pushed the seeds barely into the soil.  I planted 6-7 seeds per container.  My goal is to keep the basil plants in containers rather than eventually planting them in the garden.  As the plants grow, I will pot them up into larger sizes to keep the plants healthy and productive. 

Recap:  Basil seed of three different varieties planted on May 23, 2011.  Estimated time to germination: 5-10 days. 

For more information, read this article:  How to successfully grow basil

Next post:  Growing sunflowers

Growing Lettuce in Containers

Leaf lettuces grown last year (2010).

Today, on May 17, 2011, I decided it was time to get my self going and get my lettuce seed planted.  I love both mixed leaf type varieties and romaine the best and I still had plenty of seed from last year, so it just made sense to grow what I like and save money by using what I already had.


Little Gem from Burpee and Bon Vivant Lettuce blend from Ed Hume Seeds

Both of these lettuces preformed wonderfully for me last year.  I grew them both in the ground so planting and growing them in a container will be something new that I am trying this year.

Terra cotta pot filled with potting soil

My container that I am using is a large terra cotta pot that stands about 18 inches tall and has a 12 inches wide at the top.  I filled it with potting soil and then watered the soil to moisten it.


Planted with seed!

 After moistening the soil, I got the seed of the romaine out and poured a little bit of it in my hand.  I sprinkled the outside rim with the seed and tried my best not to spread it too thick.  With the lettuce blend, I sprinkled the inside portion with that variety.  After planting both varieties, I carefully pushed down the seed into the surface of the soil.  I then watered the seed using the fine mist option on my multi-use watering wand.  Now, it is time to just sit back and wait.  Lettuce seed will germinate in 5-10 days and are much more reliable in cool weather than some other crops that require warmer temperatures. 

For more information, check out this article:  Container gardening: Growing Lettuce

Next post:  Growing basil

Two Month Old Tomato Plants

The seeds that I used, Yellow Pear and Rainbow Heirloom Mix.  Both by Ed Hume Seeds.

On May 9, 2011, I began bringing the tomato plants outdoors during the day to begin their acclimatization to living outside.  The day time temperatures have been in the mid 50s to mid 60s.  The night time temperatures are still below normal for this time of year so I have been bringing them back inside during the night.

Here is how they looked in a photo that I took yesterday on May 14, 2011.  They have grown significantly and are acclimating well.  I am planning on giving them one more week of staying outside during the day and coming inside at night and then leaving them outside both day and night for the rest of the month.  June 1, 2011, is when I plan to plant them outside in the area prepared for them.  Let's hope the weather will improve and I will have continued success!

Next post:  Growing lettuce in containers

Germination Success!

After waiting patiently for what seemed like forever, my carrot seed and bell pepper seed have finally germinated. The long wait was most likely caused by the unseasonably cool temperatures that those of us in Western Washington have been experiencing. Normally, the May temperatures are in the the low to mid 60s with a nighttime low of 45 to 50 degrees. This year, the highs have been in the mid 50s with lows in the high 30s. There have been a few nice days here and there, but nothing consistant.

I discovered these tiny seedlings on May 9th or the 10th earlier this week. The next day, I noticed some slug slime and even caught a small slug in the act of eating one of the seedlings. I have applied a layer of Corey's Slug and Snail Death, which is visible in this photo, to protect the newly emerging seedlings. Slugs are always a huge problem in Western Washington. The ones that like to eat vegetables are non-native species introduced from other countries. Western Washington does have a native slug, called the bananna slug, but it is usually out competed by the non-natives and is usually only found in the temperate rainforests of the Washington Peninsula.

Here are the newly emerged bell pepper seedlings and a very close up shot at the top of this post. I believe their slow germination was also caused by the cooler temperatures. Even though they were started indoors, I did not keep them directly under the grow light until just recently. On May 9th, I began to move the tomato plants outside during the day and was able to place the peppers directly under the lights which provided a sudden increase in temperature. As stated before, peppers need warmth not only to grow but to germinate as well. I found emerging seedlings on May 11th and did not remove the plastic bags until May 13th. This is a neccessary precaution as you don't want the seedlings to suddenly dry out after being in a very humid and warm environment. I usually remove the bags after I see the leaves popping out of the soil.

In review:

Carrot seed planted on April 23, 2011. Carrot seed germinated on May 9, 2011. Approximately 15 days from planting to germination.

Pepper seed planted on April 24, 2011. Pepper seed germinated on May 11, 2011. Approximately 18 days from planting to germination.

Next post: Tomato update

Rhododendron hedge row

Last summer (July 2010), I was given four rhododendrons from a neighbor who no longer wanted them. Wanting to get rid of them as quickly and easily as possible, he simply tied ropes around the trunks of each shrub and pulled them out by tying the rope to the hitch of his truck and yanking them out of the ground with one quick step on the gas.

Fortunately, the plants were large and the ground was dry which enabled my neighbor to pull the plants out of the ground fairly easily with out damaging the root balls or the trunks of each rhododendron.

I planted each one inbetween five existing arborvitaes. This worked out well as I was tired of having to mow inbetween them. To remove the grass easily, I watered the lawn for about 3-4 hours to soften the soil and sod. Digging up sod when the ground is dry is very tiring work which is why I always make sure that the ground is at least moist for the first 2-3 inches that my shovel enters the ground.

Here is what the finished project looked like with all four rhododendrons planted and watered.

Today(May 3, 2011), all four rhododendrons are thriving and one has even begun to bloom! I found out that all four plants are the same variety, called 'Unique'. In the picture at the top, you can see that they are a very pale pink and yellow combination, truly unique!

For more information on how to grow rhododendrons or to make a hedge, visit:

How to plant a rhododendron hedge

How to care for rhododendrons

Next post: Vegetable garden update