Sweet Italian Basil

Basil is an annual plant that lasts for one year.It is a very popular herb and traditional sweet basil is known for its quintessential fragrance and flavor.There are other basil types that have citrus notes (lemon basil) or spicy, licorice-like flavors (Thai basil).Basil is easily air dried to store for future use. It is used to flavor tomato dishes, sauces, pizza, fish, meat, egg dishes, pesto, and herb butters.

Growing information:

Seeds will start to germinate in about 5-7 days, and basil prefers a sunny spot with well-watered soil.With these basil seeds, after 20 days you can begin to harvest leaves from the baby basil, and it will take about 45 days to have a fully mature plant. Mature basil plants can be 24” tall!Once the plant is established, you can pinch the tips of the stems to encourage the plant to become bushier and fill your planting container.As the plant ages, pinch off the basil flower buds as soon as you see them form.This will allow you to have better tasting leaves for a longer time period.

Tips:

Basil is sensitive to cold temperatures (both while growing and after harvest), so keep the plant out of cold, drafty areas or the refrigerator after picking leaves.You can harvest the leaves directly from the plant, or store a stem with many leaves in a glass with room temperature water in the kitchen.

Container gardening planting instructions:

Plant seeds 1/4” deep, 2 seeds per inch.Keep the soil moist.As the plants grow, you will need to thin them, or pull out the extra plants to make room for the few plants that will fully mature.In a 12” diameter indoor container you will only have space for 1 full size or 2 smaller basil plants to grow comfortably.Enjoy the thinned plants in salads and other meals, as a garnish, or compost if not wanted.

Green Onion

Green onions (scallions) are grown both as annuals and perennials and have the ability come back year after year.They are a multi-use plant as you can use the tube-like green leaves as a garnish or to lightly flavor dishes (chives), and the white bulb for a more intense onion flavor.That being said, the flavor is milder than a cooking onion, and can be used in salads, stir-frys, soups, dips, stews, cheese dishes, potato dishes, and herb butters.Green onions can be eaten raw or cooked.

Growing information:

Green onions prefer full sun and well-watered soil. They will start to germinate in 5-12 days. This variety can be harvested around 30 days as a baby onion and 60 days for a mature plant.Green onions grow in clumps from the white bulbs under the soil, and will grow to 10”-12” tall.

Tips:

If using this herb for chives, cut the green leaves about 1” above the soil so the bulb will continue to re-grow leaves.If you let the plant continue to grow into the next season (or transplant outside in the spring), separate the bulb clumps and plant them in groups of 4-6 bulbs apiece.Green onions can be frozen for later use.

Container gardening planting instructions:

Plant seed 1/4” deep, 2 seeds per inch, and keep the seeds misted until they germinate.While the green onions are growing, thin them until there is 1-2” between plants so they can grow comfortably in the containers.Enjoy the thinned plants in salads and other meals, as a garnish, or compost if not wanted.

Lettuce

This romaine-type lettuce stays compact in size.It has dark green leaves and crunchy midribs that give the plant an upright shape.When mature, the plant will stand about 8” tall.The leaves are sweet and crunchy and keep very well after picking.

Growing information:

This lettuce variety will start to germinate in 3-8 days.It prefers full sun, although can tolerate some shade in the high, hot sun of the afternoon. After 28 days, you can start harvesting the outer baby leaves. A fully mature head of lettuce will take 50 days to reach full size.Use these delicious lettuce leaves in salads, sandwiches, as a lettuce wrap in place of a taco shell or tortilla, and in other tasty dishes.

Tips:

When harvesting baby leaves, only take 1 or 2 every couple of days.Remove the baby leaves from the outside, and leave the center of the head unpicked so it will continue to grow.When the head is fully grown, cut at the base and enjoy!

Container gardening planting instructions:

Plant seeds 1/8” deep, 2 seeds per inch. Keep the soil moist .As the plants grow, you will need to thin them, or pull out the extra plants to make room for the few plants that will fully mature.In a 12” diameter indoor container you will only have space for 1 full size or 2 smaller lettuce plants to grow comfortably.Enjoy the thinned plants in salads and other meals, as a garnish, or compost if not wanted.

Something to try in the future:When you have a larger planting area or another container, try succession planting for more lettuce heads per season and stagger each planting by three weeks. This will let you have mature heads of lettuce while your second planting will almost be ready to harvest baby leaves. Try it out!