I went to Greensgrow which was every bit as awesome as its reputation. I’m trying to grow as many different kinds of basil as I can in the front yard — in the house where pesto is an automatic in at dinner time, basil is king — and I picked up two plants from them. Called Valentino Basil, it looks a bit more crinkly than Genovese but not quite as wild as the Basil Lettuce Leaf I’ve ordered from Seed Savers. Once I’ve got those plants going, I’m going to try and get a plant from each of the big box stores to see how they all compare. As I find other nurseries, I’ll add them to the mix. With about 45 square feet, I’ve got plenty of room for many, many plants.

Unfortunately, I did see a cat doing some business in my fresh soil. I’m going to try chicken-wire on top of the dirt, which supposedly keeps the cats away.

And I got a bunch of lettuces that had already been started (picture in the raised bed below). I got two “Read Sail”, two green leaf, and one funkily named green leaf that I’ll record tomorrow. I like the idea of having lettuce that you can pick regularly and eat right away. I like that the seed packets all say “sow continuously.”

One worry: my soil, which was supposed to be a mix of mushroom soil and top soil, was crusty this evening. I know that we’ve had no rain but still, I though the mix would provide enough “stuff” to keep the soil from drying this way. I need to get busy with my compost; I feel as though last year’s pile is good for flowers but that the new bin, where I’ve been very careful about what’s gone into it, won’t be ready for awhile. May have to buy some compost…

Flowers: I’m going to try and grow a range of sunflowers in the big pots in the back but I also picked up some PANSIES — SUPREME clear blue sky and SUPREME yellow — for the pots up front. Planted them very close together with the thought that I would have to regularly add compost to keep them healthy.
We’ll see if they survive Easter Weekend without being stolen.

Last thing: got some great deals at the Re-store on some gardening stuff. Two tall trellises I want to use for beans and cukes for $4 each!