Is there any good reason why I should not let my basil go to flowers
as it is now doing? Does it lose its flavor or anything or is it ok
to let it go and continue harvesting the leaves as needed?

All suggestions welcome as I'm a newbie at Basil. Thanx...

In our last fun filled episode, Wed, 25 Jun 2003 11:51:06 -0600,
John DeBoo proclaimed:

Is there any good reason why I should not let my basil go to flowers
as it is now doing? Does it lose its flavor or anything or is it ok
to let it go and continue harvesting the leaves as needed?

Mmmm...baaaaasil...

Pinching the flowers back makes even more leaves available
for you to harvest as needed. The plant starts to put its energy
into seed production instead of tasty leaf production when it
goes to flower. It won't kill the plant or affect the flavor, I
use Thai Basil as ornamentals in one of my flower beds, and
I let it go to flower, then pinch it back as the blooms fade.


Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.




--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 11:51:06 -0600, John DeBoo
wrote:

Is there any good reason why I should not let my basil go to flowers
as it is now doing? Does it lose its flavor or anything or is it ok
to let it go and continue harvesting the leaves as needed?

All suggestions welcome as I'm a newbie at Basil. Thanx...

You should snip off the flowers. If it flowers, it will
'think' its lifetime job is finished and not make many more
leaves. Snipping off the flowers forces it to put its
energy into making more leaves.

Snipping off the leading stalks also makes it bushier, this
is good.

Pat

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:18:23 -0400, Pam
wrote:



Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.

Isn't anything much better than that, is there? We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Pat

John DeBoo

Is there any good reason why I should not let my basil go to flowers
as it is now doing? Does it lose its flavor or anything or is it ok
to let it go and continue harvesting the leaves as needed?


Once the plants have gone to flower the leaf production diminishes as
the plant puts its energy into procreation/seeds. By pinching back
flowers, flavourful leaves will continue to be produced; flowers
pretty much spell the end to new, tastey leaves. Depends what you
want, seeds for next year or leaves to enjoy eating.

jcm
Canadian zone 5b, don't know my U.S. zone equivilant, but it's really
hot this week!

Pat Meadows wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:18:23 -0400, Pam
wrote:



Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.


Isn't anything much better than that, is there? We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Pat

Hmmm, the sandwich sounds MOST interesting. I *LOVE* mater
sammiches with mayo - now I'll just have to add a few leaves of
basil too. But like you, my maters are still greensigh.

In our last fun filled episode, Wed, 25 Jun 2003 23:04:49 -0600,
John DeBoo proclaimed:

Pat Meadows wrote:
Pam wrote:

Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.

Isn't anything much better than that, is there?

Not much.

We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Well, I do have a little head start on you for planting, even
in cold, wet springs like this one.


Hmmm, the sandwich sounds MOST interesting. I *LOVE* mater
sammiches with mayo - now I'll just have to add a few leaves of
basil too. But like you, my maters are still greensigh.

Oh, tomatoes are just made to go with fresh basil! I've been
getting some cherry tomatoes, so I slice them in half, mix them
with the fresh basil, some garlic, green onions, give it a dash
of oil and vinegar, and crumble a bit of blue cheese on top.

Pam, yummy!



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

one thing thats yummy also is to put a nice slice of mozzarella cheese on --
MMMMMMM

"Pam" wrote in message
...
In our last fun filled episode, Wed, 25 Jun 2003 23:04:49 -0600,
John DeBoo proclaimed:

Pat Meadows wrote:
Pam wrote:

Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.

Isn't anything much better than that, is there?

Not much.

We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Well, I do have a little head start on you for planting, even
in cold, wet springs like this one.


Hmmm, the sandwich sounds MOST interesting. I *LOVE* mater
sammiches with mayo - now I'll just have to add a few leaves of
basil too. But like you, my maters are still greensigh.

Oh, tomatoes are just made to go with fresh basil! I've been
getting some cherry tomatoes, so I slice them in half, mix them
with the fresh basil, some garlic, green onions, give it a dash
of oil and vinegar, and crumble a bit of blue cheese on top.

Pam, yummy!



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

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Arrrrrggggghhhhh - you guys are killing me, mater sammiches with all
the goodies, and mozzarella cheese to boot? How come my Roma maters
are still green - grrrrrr....... I be hungry!!!!!
Lets see, in my garden are Roma maters, basil, garlic... Allright,
who stole my bread tree? Guess I'll have to use fresh homemade
tortillas - so there!!!

joe s wrote:
one thing thats yummy also is to put a nice slice of mozzarella cheese on --
MMMMMMM

"Pam" wrote in message
...

In our last fun filled episode, Wed, 25 Jun 2003 23:04:49 -0600,
John DeBoo proclaimed:


Pat Meadows wrote:

Pam wrote:

Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.

Isn't anything much better than that, is there?

Not much.


We've got

the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Well, I do have a little head start on you for planting, even
in cold, wet springs like this one.



Hmmm, the sandwich sounds MOST interesting. I *LOVE* mater
sammiches with mayo - now I'll just have to add a few leaves of
basil too. But like you, my maters are still greensigh.

Oh, tomatoes are just made to go with fresh basil! I've been
getting some cherry tomatoes, so I slice them in half, mix them
with the fresh basil, some garlic, green onions, give it a dash
of oil and vinegar, and crumble a bit of blue cheese on top.

Pam, yummy!



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

In article , Pat Meadows
wrote:

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:18:23 -0400, Pam
wrote:



Pam, who had her first basil and tomato sandwich of the season
yesterday evening.

Isn't anything much better than that, is there? We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Pat

Ick. Do your Red Robins taste okay? I've never eaten one I liked.

We've been eating Tumblers for a couple of weeks now, from the kitchen-
window plant. The 'maters have good taste. Not as good as Sweet 100's
and they're bigger (golf ball size), but a damned sight better than the little
red ball bearings that the grocery store sells for $3/lb.

I always put leaf lettuce and a pansy in the planters next to the door of
our house. (Edible landscaping.) So we're eating fresh lettuce from
the planters and 'maters out of the windowsill. My garden is just kicking
into gear and isn't producing food yet. Soon though : )

Jan
Zone 3, Alaska

On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 02:54:09 -0800, (Jan
Flora) wrote:



Isn't anything much better than that, is there? We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Pat

Ick. Do your Red Robins taste okay? I've never eaten one I liked.

Both DH and I think they are LOVELY, very good taste.
Hmmmm...maybe this is a personal taste difference.


We've been eating Tumblers for a couple of weeks now, from the kitchen-
window plant. The 'maters have good taste. Not as good as Sweet 100's
and they're bigger (golf ball size), but a damned sight better than the little
red ball bearings that the grocery store sells for $3/lb.

How big do the Tumblers get?

I'm definitely going to be growing tomatoes over the winter,
in the big bay window in our living room. This has a 2' x
8' window ledge, and gets sun from three directions (it's
the sticking-out kind of bay window).

I'm starting seeds for Yellow Canary also, I'll be starting
them soon.

I always put leaf lettuce and a pansy in the planters next to the door of
our house. (Edible landscaping.) So we're eating fresh lettuce from
the planters and 'maters out of the windowsill. My garden is just kicking
into gear and isn't producing food yet. Soon though : )


We're somewhat ahead of you (Zone 5 here) but this spring
was so cold and wet that we're probably not MUCH ahead of
you this year.

My own gardening plans have also been sharply curtailed this
year by back problems (mine), major bummer!

At present, I'm only able to garden in big pots on the deck,
can't walk far enough to get to the garden, which my husband
is maintaining. So this year has been a major
disappointment, what with one thing and another.

Pat

Pat Meadows wrote:
On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 02:54:09 -0800, (Jan
Flora) wrote:



Isn't anything much better than that, is there? We've got
the basil but not the tomatoes yet...only little ones on the
miniature Red Robin plants.

Pat

Ick. Do your Red Robins taste okay? I've never eaten one I liked.


Both DH and I think they are LOVELY, very good taste.
Hmmmm...maybe this is a personal taste difference.



We've been eating Tumblers for a couple of weeks now, from the kitchen-
window plant. The 'maters have good taste. Not as good as Sweet 100's
and they're bigger (golf ball size), but a damned sight better than the little
red ball bearings that the grocery store sells for $3/lb.


How big do the Tumblers get?
[snip]

I used to grow both Tumblers and Red Robins. I quit growing Tumblers
because they were so subject to wilt diseases. The Tumblers were a
little sweeter then the Red Robins and for a lot of people that is the
determining factor. The comment about Sweet 100's makes me think that is
the case for the Red Robin disliker above. For me, the more tomatoey
favor of Red Robins is superior for most uses.

The Tumbler fruit is a bit smaller then Red Robins.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and
security may come at a substantial price in freedom, that law and order
can be a doublethink version of oppression, that individual liberties
surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost."
Walter Cronkite, in the preface to the 1984 edition of 1984

On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 19:43:23 GMT, "Lorenzo L. Love"
wrote:

Pat Meadows wrote:

I used to grow both Tumblers and Red Robins. I quit growing Tumblers
because they were so subject to wilt diseases. The Tumblers were a
little sweeter then the Red Robins and for a lot of people that is the
determining factor. The comment about Sweet 100's makes me think that is
the case for the Red Robin disliker above. For me, the more tomatoey
favor of Red Robins is superior for most uses.

We like the Red Robin taste very well indeed, it tastes like
an 'old-fashioned' tomato.

I'm starting Yellow Canary seeds next week, also MicroTina -
I got the MicroTina seeds (free) from the group at Utah
State University that is studying super dwarf vegetables and
grains.

http://www.usu.edu/cpl/outreach_seed_request.htm

I told them - in the request - that I was a private
individual with an interest in growing miniature vegetables,
and they sent me the seeds.


The Tumbler fruit is a bit smaller then Red Robins.

Thanks, Lorenzo. We seem to share an interest in miniature
vegetables: or is it just tomatoes that interest you?

I'll also be growing a miniature pepper this autumn/winter,
and spicy globe bush basil. Plus a couple of the
mini-tomatoes, and some Tom Thumb lettuce.

I'm fortunate enough to have a very large bay window that
gets sun from three directions - the whole affair sticks out
from the house. It's almost like a mini-greenhouse. The
window ledge is 2' x 8' - so I have 16 sf of growing space
all winter.

Pat

Pat Meadows wrote:
On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 19:43:23 GMT, "Lorenzo L. Love"
wrote:


Pat Meadows wrote:


I used to grow both Tumblers and Red Robins. I quit growing Tumblers
because they were so subject to wilt diseases. The Tumblers were a
little sweeter then the Red Robins and for a lot of people that is the
determining factor. The comment about Sweet 100's makes me think that is
the case for the Red Robin disliker above. For me, the more tomatoey
favor of Red Robins is superior for most uses.


We like the Red Robin taste very well indeed, it tastes like
an 'old-fashioned' tomato.

I'm starting Yellow Canary seeds next week, also MicroTina -
I got the MicroTina seeds (free) from the group at Utah
State University that is studying super dwarf vegetables and
grains.

http://www.usu.edu/cpl/outreach_seed_request.htm

I told them - in the request - that I was a private
individual with an interest in growing miniature vegetables,
and they sent me the seeds.



The Tumbler fruit is a bit smaller then Red Robins.


Thanks, Lorenzo. We seem to share an interest in miniature
vegetables: or is it just tomatoes that interest you?

I'll also be growing a miniature pepper this autumn/winter,
and spicy globe bush basil. Plus a couple of the
mini-tomatoes, and some Tom Thumb lettuce.

I'm fortunate enough to have a very large bay window that
gets sun from three directions - the whole affair sticks out
from the house. It's almost like a mini-greenhouse. The
window ledge is 2' x 8' - so I have 16 sf of growing space
all winter.

Pat

I grow Jingle Bell peppers too. I have limited space for a garden and
the miniature plants in pots can be put on fence posts, street curbs,
sidewalks and so forth to make more room. Plus, I can get produce much
earlier by using miniatures and starting them a couple months earlier
and hauling them outside every moring and back inside every night. With
maybe 50 pots and baskets, that takes a while every day but its worth it
for me. I grow full sized plants too in what garden space I do have.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and
security may come at a substantial price in freedom, that law and order
can be a doublethink version of oppression, that individual liberties
surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost."
Walter Cronkite, in the preface to the 1984 edition of 1984

On Sun, 29 Jun 2003 19:34:00 GMT, "Lorenzo L. Love"
wrote:


I grow Jingle Bell peppers too. I have limited space for a garden and
the miniature plants in pots can be put on fence posts, street curbs,
sidewalks and so forth to make more room. Plus, I can get produce much
earlier by using miniatures and starting them a couple months earlier
and hauling them outside every moring and back inside every night. With
maybe 50 pots and baskets, that takes a while every day but its worth it
for me. I grow full sized plants too in what garden space I do have.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove


I have thought about growing Jingle Bell peppers. Do they taste good?
How small are they? How small is the plant?

I've seen them in Johnny's Seeds (I think) but the exchange rate has
always put me off. Maybe I should order them now, for next year, while
our dollar is strong.


jcm

Toronto, Canada
Canadian zone 5b, U.S. zone is apparently 4b
Thanks to global warming it's bloody hot here!