Last week (mid Jan) we finished off the basil. I bought one pot in Spring, divided it and with a bit of help of the growlight, kept it going til now. It got a bit spindly and skanky by the end. I know we don’t eat huge amounts of basil but I am proud to have kept us self-sufficient for so long!
Today I potted on some cerinthe that I got from seed from the cerinthe I grew from seed last year. They look pretty healthy already. I will leave them out unless it gets really cold and hope for the bets. I love these plants. I haven’t worked out how to keep them going from year to year but here’s hoping
I’ve also got about 6 foxgloves seedlings in pots that should be ready to do the business this summer.
I potted on some sage too. I grew this from cuttings, using the method Nemone at Core taught me – in a plastic bag and everything – and so far they are working. it feels like the circle of growing is starring again….
I got my growlight out of the cellar! I put the basil in it. I’m so proud of this basil. I bought it in a pot from the supermarket in May (?). I split it and have kept it alive ever since. Ihave managed to make us self-sufficient in basil for more than 6 months! Admittedly that is because we don’t use basil much, but it is the ONLY thing I have managed to make us self sufficient in (apart from tough outdoor herbs like sage which don’t count and we also don’t eat much).
I’m going to eat the ones at the front but try and 1 or 2 plants alive for as long as possible. Apparently they are going yellow because of too much water, too little, not enough nutrients or too cold. I’m going too cold… It says they like a night time temperature of no less than 10degrees. I’m guessing it’s not even that during the day in the kitchen
I’m going to try and grow some of this too.
Things I know so far: 5+ hours of direct sunlight a day.
I got some from Vital Seeds – who I read about in The Garden and who sell organic seed. They came in a lovely package and made me feel green fingered just opening it.
I have planted them in the growlight. I am sceptical they will come up this early but we will see…..
They have come up! They look all perky. We’ll see.
I could not love my chillis more. It’s going to get warmer next week so I will put them out then.
I don’t think it’s going to end well. I put them in the greenhouse and then hardened them off. When we had some sun in the Spring, I moved them round the garden so they got as much sun as possible. But it has been a terrible summer. Every time there has been a ray of sunshine, they’ve tried to flower but the rain comes in and strips them off. They’ve gone weirdly bushy, and as they haven’t set any fruit, I can’t see them growing any chillis. Maybe next year…
Well, that didn’t work brilliantly. I blame the weather.
This year I am going to become self-sufficient in coriander. I’m going to try to become self-sufficient in parsley. I’ve said it now.
I might buy some tarragon and grow it on.
I have mint, marjoram, thyme, sage and fennel already. Every year, I do that thing where you buy one pot of basil from the supermarket and split it and it lasts all summer.
I’m going to try this method with the seeds which is a very cool man in India I think suggesting you sandpaper them.
I had some coriander seeds growing very slowing in the greenhouse which me and Edie planted in the Autumn. They had germinated. I put them in a bigger pot and under the growlight and they looked lovely and perky for a bit but then started yellowing and some of them died. I’ve put them by the growlight but not it in, and I’m going to move them up to the greenhouse after the snow (this weekend apparently).
I have also read a bit and learnt it doesn’t like being moved and it likes to grow a deep tap root. And (from the sandpaper guy) that they each “seed” is in fact 2 seeds, so they always grow double so presumably need super thinning which I am not good at.
I am already thinking, bloody coriander, you spend ages growing it and you end up with just enough for a sprinkle on a soup. A bunch as big as my hand costs £1.25 at the greengrocer.
My Garden 