Month: July 2018

   This garden favorite is easy to grow and versatile in so many dishes, make sure you plant lots because you’ll always find a use for it! Basil can be started from seed directly in the garden but will take some time to harvest. Planting from seedling will give you quicker results. Basil prefers full sun, well-drained but consistently moist soil, and needs warmth to grow. If your soil dries out quickly, mulch around the base of the plant (be sure to choose organic mulch!). It does have a tendency to flower so be sure to trim off blossoms to promote growth (they are edible!). Not fussy, basil just needs regular watering and occasional fertilizer. The more you harvest, the faster it grows and will keep producing until the first heavy frost.

   Basil does not have many problems but will occasionally get aphids, fusarium or bacterial wilt,  mildew, and leaf spots. These are all easily avoided and handled so don’t be deterred from grow this great garden addition. This fantastic article from Clemson University Extension office covers common Basil problems in more detail.

Fun Basil Facts!

Mosquitoes hate the scent! Especially Lemon Basil and Cinnamon Basil – combine a few plants in your patio containers to keep the bugs away. The full foliage makes a nice addition to containers; just rustle the leaves for a burst of scent; and you’ll have ready access to herbs for dinner.   Old-time gardeners always planted basil near tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus to repel thrips and beetles. Folklore also goes that basil planted near tomatoes make the fruit sweeter. Definitely worth a try and you’ll need both ingredients for our killer Caprese recipe (here).

Harvesting and Cooking with Basil

   Basil can be harvested as needed but try to pick in the morning as the taste will be the sweetest. To pick, just snip leaves off the plant or cut a whole stem (the latter will cause plant to bush out more). Rinse leaves in cool water and spread on towels or use a salad spinner to dry out. If you aren’t using right away, submerge stems in water as with a flower bouquet until ready to use. Do not store in the refrigerator as this will affect taste. To strip leaves off stems, just hold upside and run fingers down the length of the branch.

   Basil is best used fresh and does not hold up well to cooking heat (so add to dishes at the very end of cooking time). It can be dried in a dehydrator or frozen for later use in marinades or sauces. To freeze basil, pack ice cube trays with chopped leaves and fill with olive oil – when thawed they make a great addition to dressings or sauces. Basil is also a great mix in to marinades, can be steeped in vinegar, and is a nice complement with “bitter” salad greens such as arugula.

Browse our selection of basil (and other herbs) here:

This may be surprising but there is a right (and wrong!) way to burn a jar candle. Here’s just a few tips to get the best results and longest burn time out of your candles:

1. During your first use, burn the candle long enough to liquefy the entire top layer of wax to prevent the formation of a dip or “wax memory ring”. If this depression forms, it will tunnel to the bottom of the candle and the outer edges will not burn. It will also cause the wick to eventually drown in the wax, making it difficult to keep lit.
2. After the first burn, keep the wick trimmed to ¼”. A perfectly-burning candle should not smoke, flare-up, or flicker. This means the wick is too long or the candle is placed in too strong of a draft. Short wicks also cannot flop over and get trapped in the wax as it cools.
3. Keep the wax pool free of debris such as matchheads or wick trimmings. Once the candle cools down, just screw the lid back on to protect the surface.
4. If keeping candles on your deck or patio, be sure they are not exposed to the hot sun. A normal sunny summer day is enough to melt the wax in the jar!
5. Always burn on a heatproof surface and away from potential fire hazards such as curtains or fabrics.

For best mosquito repelling, place candles within 6 feet of activity areas. Use multiple candles to ring your sitting areas for maximum coverage.

 

It doesn’t take much to create a butterfly-friendly garden! Try these quick tips for fast results:

1. Butterflies prefer red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms and need flat-topped, clustered, or short-tubed flowers so they can get at the nectar. A few good choices: Zinnia, Purple Coneflower; Lantana; and Coreopsis.
2. Butterflies also need native plants for all life stages – eggs, caterpillars, and new emerging butterflies are adapted to thrive with plants most likely found in their area. This is one reason Milkweed is so crucial to the Monarch migration. When planning the garden, combine plants for continuous bloom so butterflies will always find a food source.
3. Always avoid using chemicals (or choosing plants treated with chemicals such as neonicotinoids). These are toxic to many caterpillars and they will not survive once the eggs hatch.
4. Plant a variety of other flowers (and herbs) they can’t resist: Butterfly Bush; Sweet Alyssum; Wisteria; Hollyhocks; Sweet William; Red Bee Balm; Borage; Lavender; Chives; Allium; Phlox; and Butterfly Weed. These will call them in and they will stop by all your plants (pollinating each time!)
5. Butterflies love the sun! They need to warm their wings for flight and will happily sit on a flat rock in the sun to rest and warm up. They also generally prefer feeding in full sun during the heat of the day (from mid-morning to mid-afternoon).
6. Give them something to drink. Have you ever seen a group of butterflies gathered on wet sand or mud? They are extracting minerals and drinking water. You can recreate this by placing a layer of coarse sand in the shallow container (terracotta trays work well); keep the sand moist; and place where you see butterflies. Make sure to keep the sand moist but not submerged.
7. Resist the urge to clean out gardens in the Fall. Many caterpillars overwinter in a chrysalis so if you remove tall plants, you may also be taking with you the chrysalis. In addition, birds love to peck away at left over seeds during the winter so you’re helping other wildlife.

Want more great ideas on butterfly gardening? Visit your region’s Extension office or website for Zone-specific suggestions. One website we really love is the Clemson Cooperative Extension, found here.

Interested in adding butterfly-friendly plants to your garden? We still have some left! Those can be found here.