Beau took me up there (via the 4x) to see this impressive tree up close and personal. She is a beauty in all of her spring bloom! She has never been pruned or touched by human hands. She is easily 40 years old.
The cows use her for shade and as a back scratcher and they usually get to all of the low-hanging fruit before we do! Beautiful and useful.
How To Grow A Giant Basil Bush: A Pro Gardener Reveals Their Secret
The best way to ensure that a plant grows to its maximum potential is to give it what it needs.
In the case of basil, it is a lot of warmth, plenty of bright sunlight and ample moisture. If you provide these, your basil seedlings will grow fast to become large plants, providing you with plenty of leaves for your pesto.
If you keep your basil in the tiny pot it came in, you are not going to have a large, luxurious plant, even if you provide water and fertilizers regularly.
The roots need space to stretch out, so transplant it into a larger pot or plant it out in the garden.
If you are growing your plants from seeds, start them indoors early so that they will be ready to go outside when warm weather arrives.
Use warm grow lights or heating mats to keep your basil seedlings warm. A constant temperature of 70F is ideal.
Almost all varieties of basil are very tender, so they shouldn’t go outside until all danger of frost has passed.
As a general rule, basil should follow tomato plants. In fact, both these warm-season plants have similar cultural requirements. If you have a long growing season, you can sow basil seeds directly in a well-cultivated spot or raised bed at the same time as you transplant your tomato seedlings.
By the time the basil seedlings come up, it will be warm enough for them.
Basil likes some amount of moisture in the soil all the time, but it doesn’t like wet feet. Rich growing medium keeps it happy, but good drainage should be ensured. Work the soil well to ensure good air circulation. Amend the garden soil with compost, leaf mold, and other organic matter.
Soil compaction retards growth, so ‘friable’ soil is what you should aim for. Add some high nitrogen fertilizer which helps leafy growth. For organic culture, vermicompost is excellent. Repeat feeding every two weeks with compost tea.
Most gardening advice regarding basil supports keeping the plant compact and bushy. But large plants provide more leaves. As you know very well, even a small quantity of pesto requires quite a large amount of leaves.
If you want a large basil plant, refrain from pinching the tip when the plant is 6 inches tall as most gardeners advise.
Allow the plant to grow fast and furious until it is between 12-15 inches tall. Pinch not just the apical bud and the first pair of leaves as you would normally do. Remove around 2 inches of the stem tip. This promotes branching from lower nodes.
The side branches can be allowed to grow and fill out before their tips are pinched. They should be ready within 3 weeks. Continue to pinch off the tips of all branches and use them for making pesto and sauces.
That is a gorgeous specimen! How are the apples?
Beautiful tree!!!