Unlimited marigold

I removed some of the dead marigold flowers i.e. deadheaded them, and collected their seeds. I didn't realise how easy it was! The seeds were smaller than the ones from the packet, probably because the pot I have is smaller than recommended.

Left: a dead marigold head. Centre: removing the petals. Right: Marigold seeds

Next step... germinate from seeds!

Using a wick to water plants while away

I had a four day weekend and used an old cotton t-shirt and some 3 L milk bottles to keep my plants hydrated. It's the same trick I used while I was away for two weeks in December.

Day 0: I was in a rush so was only able to set up a few pots

The basil and capsicum are growing heaps! The marigold seeds will be ready to be harvested soon.

Day 5: Most plants were hydrated

First basil harvest of 2017

A few months ago I sowed some sweet basil and marigold seeds. When the seedlings came up I repotted them into takeaway containers.

Pre-basil harvest

Today, was the first harvest for the season. Basil can be harvested when it's 30 cm tall or has three sets of true leaves. Mine had seven sets! I snipped off the top three sets of leaves about 2 cm above the node of the next one and added them to lunch. We had basil tomato cheese sandwiches for lunch. The aroma was amazing and a little went a long way.

Post-basil harvest

The original plant was quite small so I'm wondering how this will affect future growth... I need larger pots as well!