I missed the NPR story on basil blight earlier in the week, but caught the link from the CT NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Facebook fan page. Apparently the disease is a problem in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Florida. It acts and spreads much like late blight in tomatoes – via splashed soil and wind – so it is likely to impact gardeners in surrounding areas. It's also known as basil downy mildew.

The solution should you find your carefully tended basil leaves beginning to tinge yellow? Inspect the underside of the leaves for spores – they look like tiny grayish/brown specs between the veins (check out photo links below. If you find basil blight, freeze or make pesto with all the healthy leaves and destroy the remaining plant residue.  I'm only guessing you should isolate infected plants in a sealed plastic bag for trash disposal – this is what you should do with late blight infected tomatoes. I also guess you should not compost diseased plants.

Vegetable MD on basil blight – photos, more info on the pathogen, and a reporting link should your basil develop blight.

Photos of basil blight.

It just so happens that I went a little crazy planting basil this year – we LOVE pesto. I have five varieties potted in numerous containers and planted amongst perennials; large-leaved Basilico Mostruoso, Italiano Classico, Basilico Finissimo Verde a Palla, a globe-shaped bushy plant, and Greek Mini Yevani, a small leaved Ocimum-type, and lemon basil. I've also given a good number of small transplants away. The prospect that some … many … all … could be wiped out by blight, as could my tomatoes, makes me downright queasy. My mouth waters for fresh tomato and basil salads – the perfect flavors of summer.

I have no experience with basil blight. I'd love to hear from anyone who has dealt with basil blight –how fast did it come on and spread?

Related posts:
Late Blight – The Sequel
Gardening Oops – February 2010
Pre-frost action
Late blight marches on
Late Blight

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, Herb Highlights, Techniques.
Tags: basil, basil blight, CT NOFA, NPR, Vegetable MD.

This month I present a cared for but not nourished basil plant I brought inside last fall before frost.  Yes, I watered it regularly, and gave it as much natural light as possible, but you can see it did some serious toward-the-sun leaning .  I shoulda picked more of its leaves.  I woulda enjoyed their  flavor in tomato sauce or on a home made pizza.  I coulda done this had I paid a little more attention.  But I didn't, and last week when I noticed tiny white specks on its leaves, I knew that aphids had hatched.  I shoulda and coulda given my tender herbal companion regular bi-weekly showers to stave off any budding aphid infestations.  Had I done this I might have been able to keep the aphids at bay.  But I didn't.  I have a pretty strict policy of banishing any small, replaceable plant from the house when aphids take hold.  I've tried fighting serious infestations in winter's past and it's not anything I choose to do again … I never seem to win the battle.  So when the aphids moved in, the basil moved out.  Here it is, on the front porch on a relatively warm January day – temperatures in the high 30's F.  The plant did remarkably well for the first few hours, then quickly drooped as night time fell.  By morning it was dead, aphids and all.

Caring for plants, just like caring for any other aspect of life, requires vigilance … sometimes more and sometimes less.  At times, growing plants also means making tough choices, like banishing one to never-never land.  Gardening, real gardening, means making mistakes.  Joining in on GOOPs day means admitting some of these mistakes.  Here you have yet another of mine, and the chance to share any mistake you've made in a comment below.  If you choose to share your GOOPs on your own blog, I'm thrilled.  Just leave a teaser in a comment below, along with your link, and anyone who reads here can pay you a visit too.

And if you really thrive on delve into past mistakes take a look at GOOPs – Gardening Oops for all the gritty details.  Here's hoping my GOOPs do not become yours.

Related posts:
Gardening Oops – GOOPS – September 2009
Gardening Oops – GOOPs - Day
New Year’s GOOPs – a gardener’s faux pas
Missed Opportunity – A Gardening Oops (Goops)
Pre-frost action

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, GOOPs-Gardening Oops.
Tags: aphids, basil, Gardening blunders, GOOPs Day.

1. Most of the abundant crop of cucumbers have been used in salads, canned to dill pickles, or canned to relish.  I still hope to try brining a few into pickles - something I've not tried before – and if this doesn't work, I can still make more dills or relish.
2. Most of my meager crop of hot peppers have also been canned for winter use, though I still hope to can at least a couple more pints.
3. Just a few eggplant, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and Pruden's purple tomatoes, and yellow and purple string beans remain on their plants.  I'll pick all before frost gets them.
4. A good amount of sage is cut, tied into bunches, and hanging to dry.  I'll use this in winter recipes, but hope to cut and dry more, perhaps for the kids to use.
5. Marjoram is drying in a borrowed dehydrator.
6. Basil is mostly picked (any remaining outside gets covered to protect from night temperatures below 50 degrees), and either dried,made into pesto, or frozen into a blended mash for use in soups.  Some plant will live on for a while in a small hot house, other plants have already been moved to an inside sunny window.
7. My rosemary plant is also inside after rejuvenating outdoors in the warm summer sun.  I'll use fresh cut rosemary in winter recipes.
8. Thyme has yet to be cut and dried.
9. Fall raspberries continue to produce.  Those not eaten get frozen on a cookie sheet then stored in an airtight baggie.
10. The 80 pounds of peaches we picked at a local orchard were peeled, sliced, covered with a mild sugar/water solution, and frozen in airtight bags.  Eating these in the dead of winter is like eating summer.
11. A similar amount of blueberries from a local farm have also been frozen for winter use.
12. I still need to pick apples from a local orchard.  They will become applesauce or apple butter.
13. Pumpkins, from a local farm, now sit outside as seasonal decoration, but will be cooked down, mashed, and frozen for later soups and pies.
14. There's still some hosta to move and new purchases to plant.
15. The Siberian iris are in desperate need of thinning.
16. Spring blooming bulbs need to be dug up, thinned out, and replanted.
17. Volunteer lamb's ear, foxglove, and sedum need to find better homes.
18. Finished compost must be screened and spread on lawn and planting areas.
19. Every last garlic chive blossom must be cut off and burned, otherwise I'll be overrun with unwanted volunteers in the spring.
20. And, finally, if I get the chance, I'd like to set up a small cold frame in an inconspicuous sunny spot so I can encourage some late planted lettuce and overwinter some cilantro seedlings.

So forgive me if blog posts come just every few days … at this time of year, end of season garden chores beckon … and I know I've forgotten something!

Related posts:
CT Grown Eats
Late blight hits CT tomatoes, potatoes
Late Blight
Magic milk update …
Magic Milk for Powdery Mildew

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, General, Seasons.
Tags: apples, basil, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, marjoram, peaches, peppers, pre-frost chores, pumpkins, raspberries, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes.