Always Learning

One needs to try new things in the garden.  There’s no end of knowledge one can learn.  And vegetable gardening takes a lot of knowledge.  People think you just drop seeds into the soil and voila.

Last year I tried Oregano.  In my youthful ignorance I thought you could just seed it outside, like Summer Savory.  My son TOG heard of my plans and just smiled.  When I opened the seed packet -- that seed was almost the smallest I’d ever seen.  There was no way you could keep it moist and maintained until it germinated unless it was in controlled conditions inside, under lights.  I had waited too late.  I had missed the starting pistol.  And lost that race.  Always learning.

This year I tried Basil.  I got smart and with my oregano started it indoors.  I was struggling / learning with my new LED grow light – getting the hang of how close to the leaves it needed to be.  My fluorescent tube lights had always needed to be within 1.5 inches or less of the youngest plants.  The full spectrum LED needed to be backed way off to not scorch the leaves.  Always learning.

TOG saw my young basil plants and pointed out some disease to avoid when the leaves were turning dark.  At least he didn’t just smile.  I finally set them out at the unused end of my cabbage / kale bed.  So here’s the result of my first try at Basil.

 

That looks very sad.

So what will I change next time? 

Keep them under fluorescents until I learn the proper spacings for LED’s.  Don’t let them sit in their pots too long.  Possibly stagger seedings to learn optimum seasonal timing.  Plan better where they’re going to be in the garden.  Probably time them to grow in the spinach / lettuce bed.  Maybe even read somewhere how to do it.

Those growers that sell potted Basil in the grocery stores – they really know what they’re doing.  Always Learning.

But Happy Gardening.