Chicagoist: Gardenist: The Herbman

guest

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:15:39 -0600

to have some for next year, you can either 1harvest the seeds or 2 keep it going indoors throughout the winter by cutting off the top and sticking it in water- they root Very easily. side note- never walk around chicago with rooted basil unless you're willing to give some away! :D

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:09:10 -0600

If you want a really easy planting, take a couple garlic cloves and plant them a week or two before Halloween. By mid-august of next summer, you'll have store-bought sized heads of garlic. A sign they are ready is that the leaves and stem die above ground. When they are yellow, it's harvest time. Don't cut the leaves off. Hang in a basement, garage, or pantry for a few weeks. I don't know if it works, but in Return to the Planet of the Apes, when they were hiding on the farm, he tells the ape kid that when planting corn, always use the larger kernels, as they will grow bigger and bigger ears. I think the same about cloves of garlic.

Chuck Sudo

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:42:15 -0600

#1: Thanks for the heads-up on the dill and basil. The person who preceded me in my apartment planted sage in the same spot as my basil three years ago, and it took over the entire planters box by the time he left. I mean, it grew everywhere. The landlord rooted it all out last year, not knowing what it was.

matty

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:31:24 -0600

i think there would be nothing better than to have a a raspberry infestation in my front courtyard.

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:49:48 -0600

I think what you have there is considered Genovese basil. I grew this one year and had a great crop. The stem got nice and woody so I knew it was taking in the right amount of water and sun. With the basil I didn't use I dried. Sadly, it's not a perennial. But it was the most contained and proud herb of the garden. The herb to really watch out for is dill. It's about as hard to rid your garden of it as it is to do with raspberries.