Gardening At Home
Growing Basil at home
Basil is grown for its fragrant tasty leaves that can be added raw to salads, sandwiches or used in cooked dishes such as the ever popular pasta with tomato and basil sauce.
• Preparation
In growing basil in pots, ensure that adequate drainage is allowed from the base of the pot (line with coarse gravel if necessary).
• Sowing
Sow the seeds thinly and if grown in pots, sow enough for a few plants in each pot. Cover the-seeds with 1/2 cm of compost and firm gently. Basil seeds should germinate in about a week and once the seedlings have developed 2 pairs of true leaves then you can thin out the weakest seedlings in each pot, leaving each pots strongest.
• Soil type
Basil plants like a fertile soil that has been well dug to allow good soil air circulation. Introducing well rotted organic compost or manure into the soil a month or so before sowing will help this.
• Tending
Water every week. When watering your basil make sure to water at the base of the plant avoiding showering the leaves and stems. Be sure to pinch out any flowers that appear. This will help preserve the plants flavor and also channel the plants energies into more leaf growth.
• Harvesting
Basil is a pick-and come again crop. It is best to pick a few leaves off a number of plants than picking all the leaves off one plant. Harvest the top most leaves first.
Growing Coriander at home
Coriander is also known as Chinese parsley. Coriander is grown for both its seeds and leaves for culinary purposes. The leaves can be used raw in salads, sandwiches and salsas or in cooked items.
• Preparation
Because coriander is sensitive to transplanting and shock, it is advisable. to sow coriander seeds where you want them to remain. If grown outside then weed, dig over and rake the soil before planting.
• Sowing
Sow seeds in drills around 1 cm deep and then cover with soil / compost. Space rows around 35cm apart. Sow seeds around 4cm apart. Once the seedlings are about 4-5cm high you can thin them down to about 20cm apart.
• Soil type
The soil should, be well drained and have good aeration. If planting in containers ensure that sufficient drainage aiding materials such as broken pots and/or coarse gravel are in the base of the container.
• Tending
A liquid fertilizer can be applied to the soil every few weeks to promote growth. A shock to the plants system such as lack of water a significant drop in temperature will cause coriander to bolt (start producing seed).
• Harvesting
You can start to harvest the leaves after the plant has reached 10 cm in height. Harvest mature leaves to encourage further growth.
