My Basil Addiction Grows

Dirtmechanic

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So Publix has these repackaged unsold basils that gave me this for 8 bucks or 10. I was shopping for a birthday dinner and there they were. My neighbor is 97 and lost his wife this year. His birthday is today but Sunday I had him over for a Beef Tenderloin roast dinner. The scalloped potatoes were topped with gruyere. Funniest thing was him never having steamed carrot. They stay intense and sweet.
 
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Dirtmechanic

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:) glad to see you popping in again. basil addiction sounds good to me. lettuce gnaw how it continues...
Nutmeg to talk about but we have red tomato in the garden and the lightning bugs were dancin' last night so summer is officially here.
 

digitS'

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Very seldom does downey mildew show up on anything, probably because of low humidity conditions. Fusarium wilt on basil was way too common with sweet basil and I appreciate that there are some choices through plant breeding for resistance.

Just learning about fugus treatment with neem oil. I know that it works well for aphids but it sets up the plant for sunburn. Insecticidal soap is milder but both should be rinsed off at sunrise here.

I have read that neem leaves and flowers are used in salads in India and the twigs are used as tooth picks :). Somehow that makes me think that cocktails ... well, gardens should be celebrated!

:D Steve
 

Dirtmechanic

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Everclear for spraying the garden? Does it kill insects or make them so drunk that they fall off the plants and forget to eat them?
LoL! Well evidently it has a very fast evaporation rate and would cut the viscosity of the food grade mineral oil as it is more of a syrup consistency and will never spray well. Oils gum up the fungus spore from spreading and also make a barrier between the skin of a plant and the chemistry of the spore which is designed to penetrate the leaves and such..neem oil is what is out there now. The horticultural oils for trees are mineral oil and I have a small old bottle, but bought a gallon to keep in the kitchen for butcher blocks and such... that turned out to be A LOT of oil. I am just noodling around the use on tomatoes. At least on the base where the fungus want to splash up. The problem is fungi also arrive by air. The AI recommendation was for methyl alcohol as a food grade solvent. Everclear was offered as a convenient form of such. Living in Alabama I do know some moonshine makers but that risks the garden smelling of apples and peaches.

I also bought a gallon of vegetable glycerine but am kinda afraid to ask AI about that. I might make some FBI watchlist.
 
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