garden report

[cellio]

I didn't take pictures today. The garden looks much like it did last week: there are still green tomatoes and young green peppers. The ones that were there last week are bigger; there are some new small tomatoes and two tiny new peppers. I imagine I'm a couple weeks away from harvesting any of that (and that's assuming the tomato thief lets me).

The basil plants have been producing leaves that are thinner and less lush than they were at the beginning of the season. Perhaps harvesting basil helps the plant (pruning) and isn't just for when I want to eat it, so today I harvested a bunch and made pesto. I understand that one can freeze basil, but I've not had much success with that in the past. I might try again. I might also dry some.

The rosemary got a slow start but is doing well now. I've been using it fresh too but might end up drying some. It doesn't look like the plant cares whether I cut some off or leave it alone, so I think I can do that toward the end of the season.

Comments

[loosecanon]

For Basil, as with lettuces, remove any potential flowering activity in order to keep the plant producing strong leaves and roots.

To freeze, I usually blend it with a little salt and a bit of olive oil, then freeze it in an ice cube tray dedicated to herbs. This is a basis for most recipes I use basil for, and is pretty stable for 3-6 months.

Rosemary can be "trained" to survive overwinter, if you feel a need to do that.

[cellio]

I've been ruthless about proto-flowers, yes -- no sense distracting the plant with that stuff.

Thanks for the freezing tip. I've tried just freezing the leaves; I didn't think to turn it into chopped-up cubes with a little oil, but now that you mention it, I've seen frozen herb blocks that seem to be that.

Does the rosemary go dormant, or do you keep it alive and happy all winter indoors?

[loosecanon]

https://awaytogarden.com/overwintering-rosemary-indoors-and-out/ is a site I find helpful, better to send you to the more reliable source.