Quote:
Originally Posted by clkeiper
kilroy.. the nicest looking basil I have ever grown is a new variety called "Everleaf". It is gorgeous and doesn't go to seed the whole summer. it is a little bit "bitier" according to one of my customers when he tasted it one day... but I never had to pinch it back.
I must not have finished reading the original post... duh. about the ants... they will place aphids on the basil to harvest for honeydew. maybe sprinkle DE around the plants too. if you have a plastic pot spray a residual action ant killer around the bottom of the pot to kill any that cross the surface of the pot to try to get on the plant. De dust for the surface of the pot. the other thing that works is to lace Boric acid with sugar and leave that out for the ants to "harvest". that is a good ant killer too.
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Thanks! I'll look for Everleaf variety. I feel as though adding to my basil collection is a win in lots of ways.
I did try DE around the pots, had some food grade DE on hand, but then it promptly rained that day. Now that it's been drier I should retry. The bugs all seem gone, though the plant growth is now mostly at the top. We got busy with heavy yard work this weekend since it was finally bearable this weekend temp wise, and last night was my late night getting home, but tonight before it gets dark I intend to go out and cut off some of the tops to hopefully encourage new growth again.
Meanwhile, I saw a very full and leggy plant at Trader Joe's last week, and I was able to take as many good-sized top cuttings and set them to root as there were new shoots in the bottom, so that one will get me restocked pretty quickly. For now, I'm keeping that inside as well. The little seedling starts continue to look pretty good, and I'm going to pick up some Thai basil next time I see a good looking one at a garden center. And I plan to companion plant when I set out my tomatoes. Speaking of which, I need to get those marigolds started too!
