garden notes: seed saving and basil

we're saving kale seeds, which you can see in the weird pods in the front bed. There are so very many! The garlic is small (we need to plant it in deeper beds next time) and has been pulled out since this picture to dry to for 2 days.

Beyond, the lettuce is bitter and bolting- we're saving those seeds too. Dietrich and I are learning how to seed save this year. So, while we could quickly rip out the lettuce and re-plant, we're instead letting them "bolt" (flower and go to seed) so that we can replant them again, without having to buy more seeds. Hopefully the pollination went well.

And beyond, the tomatoes are huge for how late they were put in, with little babies already starting on the cherries! The peppers are starting, and the corn is looking great.


The basil is rockin' it. Here, the Tulsi Holy Basil, an Indian variety, is starting to flower. We'll be clipping off the flowers tomorrow to ensure big leaves to harvest and make into pesto. When the plant flowers, the leaves become smaller and less pungent because the plant is putting all it's energy into making flowers to become seeds. This is how it reproduces for next year's generation... we're trying to trick it to wait a while.



Here's a view of the center beds. The medicinal herb bed is amazing, it's filling out really well. And they all smell so good! Like plants should ;)