Just a quick post to show you how well my homegrown herbs are doing...
The leaves actually resemble parsley and basil now! Can't wait till I can start using them in my cooking, not that I have an abundance of either of them yet.
I feel guilty for my lack of posts recently, I've had the most stressful week working 11 hour days and the heat has left me completely exhausted. I hope to resume writing more consistently in the coming week. Hope you're enjoying the sunshine!
Lisa x
I wrote recently about how well my sweet basil seeds were growing, but my disappointment with the lack of parsley activity. Well my parsley seeds finally sprouted last week...
Obviously both herbs still have a long way to go until I can actually use them, but I'm very happy with their progress... I haven't killed them off yet through overwatering/underwatering which is a pleasant surprise. Maybe I will develop green fingers after all!
Lisa x
I mentioned last weekend that I had planted some parsley and basil seeds (see here) - and thought I'd show how my basil is progressing...
It's started growing!
Wish I could say the same for the parsley, but nothing has sprouted from my Seedpod yet :( I've been told this is to be expected though - basil apparently grows faster than parsley. Will continue to keep you posted!
Lisa x
As I mentioned earlier in the week, I received some free Suttons sweet basil seeds with my copy of Jamie Magazine this month. I also picked up a 'Pat Parsley Seedpod' for £3 at the Foodies Festival in Clapham last week - meant for kids but who cares?!? I've never been particularly green-fingered so a kit aimed at kids is probably my best chance at making some herbs grow!
So this morning I decided it was time to plant my seeds and attempt to grow some tasty herbs. I chose to plant my 'Pat Parsley' first as the kit seemed pretty straightforward and all you needed to do was add water!
The kit included some gravel, a 'coir' (a natural fibrous bi-product of the coconut husk - an eco-friendly soil), the seeds and instructions. You use the plastic Seedpod box to plant the seeds which is handy!
Firstly I emptied the gravel into the Seedpod box, followed by the coir. I then added 70-80ml of water (the lid of the box can be used to measure the water - 1 capful). The soil then expands and you can plant 5 or 6 seeds into the soil. You need to leave the pod (without lid) in a warm, light position so I left it on a ledge in my kitchen.
I then dug out a plastic plant-pot from our shed, filled it with some compost and planted a small amount of the basil seeds. I left them on the kitchen ledge next to my parsley, in a small foil pie tray which I can top up with a little water from time to time. Not quite as pretty as the parsley Seedpod, but you've got to work with what you've got!
According to the Sutton's instructions basil should be sown anytime between mid-Feb and mid-June (so I got it done just in time) and can be harvested between June and October.
Fingers crossed my herbs sprout, I will keep you updated on their progress (and hopefully not their lack of it!)
Lisa x
