Tips about Basil

Hillary taught me a few things about Basil yesterday and I want to share them.

First of all, basil and tomatoes compliment each other quite nicely. Plant basil along the base of your tomatoes (about a foot away) and you have just tried "companion planting". Some people find this to be more fiction than fact, but a lot of people have success.

You need to prune the basil early in the growing process. Pull off the sad leaves around the base. Also, pinch off at least the top two leaves. This will promote growth of new leaves and help the plant grow more "bushy". If you don't do this, the plant will only get taller, but will not have new growth. Then, it will go to seed much too early. If it looks like the plant is healthy, take off the next set of leaves as well. If it is a sickly little bugger, it is best just to pinch off the very top. In a few weeks, after the shoots on the side have grown, you should pinch the tops off the side shoots.

We made a pesto pizza last night with the basil from the farm. Delicious.