Future theme of this blog

Vman103-Productions
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I am currently confused about what to make my site about. For the moment it looks like this blog will  be centred around gardening and health. Right now I am germinating lemon basil seeds in a small cup filled with Mircale Gro rooting mixture. I am not able to afford more organic options like certain people that will try and go the natural route no matter what. Any information on whether I should trust Mircale Gro for chemical purity is appreciated.

I don't use commercial insecticides like other people because it is not a good idea. It will go into your body when you eat it(unless it is an inedible flower), and they can harm good insects as well. For Basil, insecticide may not really be necessary. I did not even have to kill anything that attacks my Basil. Sometimes a small section of a leaf gets eaten, but that is about it.

Basil plants that belong in the same family as the original basil have more or less the same growing requirements. Like Sweet Basil is from the ocimum family, Lemon Basil is actually a hybrid between Basil and African Basil, which is classified as a different species. Lemon basil's scientific name is Ocimum × citriodorum. It would seem though that in spite of the difference in names, they're actually quite similar to each other and may even be in the same genetic family. After all, you can't mate a dog and a tiger, right? Actually, original basil is ocimum basilicum. African basil is ocimum americanum. Even though it obvious contains a reference to America, it is commonly called African Basil for some reason.

For the moment it looks like this blog will revolve around gardening, and if I'm smart enough to pull it off, I may even tackle some health related topics. Not that I'm really qualified, but I don't get caught up in pointless debate about these things. I do like debating things once in a while, but if it doesn't measure up to my standards I don't participate. That may sound arrogant, but if I don't do this, I can caught up in hot debates and stress myself out as a result. And stress is bad for the body, that I know.

My knowledge of Basil is backed by experience, but only about one or two growing seasons. I am new at this somewhat. But basil really is one of--if not the easiest the plant to grow.

Basil has many purported health benefits, and alternative media has a broader field of view, if you will, about how potent herbs are in general. Basil is also a very productive, if not greedy, plant because it takes all the nutrition you give it and asks for some more, at least according to one blog I read.

But enough of that--I have one announcement to make respecting my main site. John's Corner will see another article soon about Basil except it targets people who haven't grown it before. It will focus on why you should grow it and how easy it is. This blog will be used to frequently provide details on what I've learned so that you all can benefit.

In the end, I just grow plants as a hobby and to grow my own food and medicine. If I find anything else useful I'll post it. Until next time!

How I've been growing Basil

Vman103-Productions
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A quick follow up on my Basil article. I actually started growing some of my own Basil in my apartment balcony. I ordered my seeds from Granny's Heirloom Seeds. These were large leaf Italian Basil.

So far into September, I am still harvesting leaves. I sowed the seed around April 4th, 2013. I used a woven basket-looking pot with a plastic lining to prevent water damage, and to keep the dirt inside and trap moisture. I sowed the seeds and it took 30 days to start growing harvest-able leaves. This has to be the fastest herb around!

Let me clarify something: the article I've posted is a tad dated and in need of touching up. On top of that, I will eventually redesign the website by editing the CSS and the actual html in order to reflect changes in the mark-up itself. I'm currently in the process of converting to HTML5.

Meanwhile, here is what I've been doing during my absence. Aside from a lot of stuff that's happened, I started getting into gardening a lot more. Right now, I have one Basil plant and one strong French Marigold plant. In spite of its fungal infection, it is still blooming like crazy.

I will post a follow up article on how to grow Basil. It will be simpler, more to the point, and will not allow for any distractions. I'll also post my newfound knowledge o Basil.