TAKE ONE BASIL PLANT

Good Morning,

Like so many people nowadays,  my   household budget is being stretched, it is getting harder and harder to make the money go further.  By baking, cooking, gardening and sewing I am able to rise to this challenge and save myself a lot of money.

Being careful with your money doesn't have to be a drudge, I see it as a challenge. With a bit of thought I can make my household budget stretch further and that always gives me a sense of achievement. 

Being thrifty is what Phyllis would call it. There is a saying in England which is "look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves!"

So with that thought in mind, there are various hints and tips I have for saving money and this is one of them.

Here in England you can visit the supermarket and buy growing herbs for about 50p for a plant.  They are called "cut and come again".  The reason is that the plants will continue to grow when placed on the window sill so that when you need herbs you can cut them and have fresh herbs.  What I discovered was, they don't last very long, as the plant is potted into a small pot without room to expand.  So, this is what I do,

Take one small basil plant

Cut two of the longest growing shoots,

then

Find a small glass container. 

Place the two cut stems into the glass.

Make sure they have at least one node for the roots

to grow from.

I always err on the side of caution and cut below

two nodes.

After two weeks you will have a healthy root system. Now these basil cuttings in the photograph are very healthy because the one on the left I grew for three weeks.... yes perhaps a little too long really, but sometimes we are just too busy and things have to wait.....doesn't do the plant any harm!

Pot into a good compost and place outside.

This photograph is of basil cuttings which were potted-on about 5 weeks ago.

Can you see the two tallest stems, well I cut them and placed them into water to create even more basil plants.

At 7 weeks

......and at 8 weeks.

Pretty impressive don't you think.

My next job is to turn these glorious plants into pesto,  so that we can enjoy the basil during the winter months as once the winter frosts appear, the plants will not survive.

I will share my recipe for pesto with you at a later date.

Until then, take care.

Best Wishes

Daphne xxx