How to grow a basil plant: 2 American hands and some Schlagersahne

[missytas]

Hi lj, it's time for another update!!!

So at the New Year I went out and bought a plant. A week later, I was so excited about greenery in my flat that I went out and bought 3 more plants. They are all dead save the New Year plant, which has lost all the pretty red flowers but is still green. I bought that basil plant in Paris and it died. I killed

Comments

[bhudson]

Keep poking the dirt! Basil is pretty forgiving, but as with most plants it'll die in either too much or too little water. If the soil is damp, stop watering; if it's dry, water it a lot.

Also, don't pluck the leaves; chop the stem instead. Like with most things, if you chop off the head two will grow back.

I need to get some pots to plant greenery indoors; the weather is getting cold, leaves are turning.

[missytas]

great, thanks for the tips!!!

[bhudson]

I forgot the most important part:

Eat lots of pesto!

[missytas]

And the most delicious, and actually the whole reason I stuck the plant in the water in the first place :-)

[purple_fiction]

That exact same thing happened with me and a basil plant. It was given to me in a glass with other plants that died, but the basil just kept on rocking. And then it grew roots like crazy, and I thought, I'm not going to use this right away, but I don't want to toss it. It was trying so hard to live! I planted it in the front yard. Seems to be doing well. Who knew? Basil. I seem to kill every plant I own, but basil just keeps growing (cue Dory song).

Also, Melissa, I miss you. Hope you're doing well. You look so happy! That makes me happy.

[missytas]

It's funny about the basil because everyone over here mentions how basil is so hard to grow. But we'll see what happens. This morning the leaves are a bit droopy...

Ah mais oui, ma petite poulet, I miss you too! But I will be in WA for Christmas, are you staying in the SW?

And ja, ich bin froh :-) After all the crazy strangeness of the last few years, Martin is un petit cadeau pour moi. If you come to France, you can meet him. I think he and Mr. Fiction would get along great, when I think about it, they have sort of similar personalities :-)

[bhudson]

I don't know why basil has that reputation; other than spider plants, what's easier than basil?

[purple_fiction]

I would LOVE to visit you. Absolutely. A lack of funds prevents me now, but maybe one day. That's the goal, anyway. I will be embarrassed about how much French I've forgotten, though. And German, too. I took German and then, without an opportunity to use it, promptly forgot it all.

We are staying in AZ for the holidays. Not because we want to. We're actually in the process of selling our things and talking with a realtor in preparation for a move to to MN. AZ has not been kind.