Popular basil has medicinal, culinary benefits

Throughout history herbs have been grown around the world for their taste, fragrance and medicinal properties. Basil, one of the most popular herbs grown in the United States today, is no exception. It is a delicious and aromatic ingredient of Greek, Italian and Thai cuisines offering natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Basil (Ocimum spp.) is also ornamental and can be used to enhance home landscapes, even those without an herb or kitchen garden. A long list of basil varieties offers different heights, habits, and leaf size and color. Gardeners can choose between green or purple leaves, fine-textured or ruffled leaves, and tall or compact plants with large or tiny leaves.

A warm-season herb, basil should be planted in full sun after the last frost of spring and harvested for the final time before the first fall frost. A native plant in arid climates, basil can develop problems in high humidity, so it's best to grow it in well-drained soil, avoid overwatering, and promote beneficial air circulation by allowing 12 to 18 inches between plants. Basil is ideal for growing in containers, which helps to prevent overwatering problems and makes it easier to remove any Japanese beetles whose feeding will damage leaves but rarely kill plants.

Basil grown only for its ornamental qualities will produce lovely flowers that encourage bees, lady beetles and other beneficial insects to visit your garden. Basil grown for culinary use should have flowers buds removed before they bloom and leaves pinched every few weeks to encourage tender new ones to grow.

The best way to harvest basil is by regularly cutting the center stalk back to two sets of leaves once plants become 8 inches tall. Plants will quickly recover and produce new leaves.

For maximum flavor and nutrition (basil is a very good source of vitamins A and C), harvest basil immediately before using it. Stems can also be temporarily stored somewhere cool in a water-filled vase.

Basil loses much of its flavor when dried but is easily prepped for the freezer. Mince just-picked leaves in a food processor and add just enough olive or canola oil to form a thick paste. Freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray and store the frozen cubes in an airtight bag.

No matter where you grow it or how you use it, history-rich basil offers the world - and home gardeners - a delightfully ornamental plant with an herb's life-enhancing pleasures and benefits.

Plant now for fall harvest

If you're new to gardening or have not yet tried growing vegetables and greens, this is a great time to begin exploring the pleasures and benefits of growing your own produce.

Vegetables are divided into cool-season and warm-season crops. Warm-season crops need warmer soils and air temperatures for seeds to germinate, and plants to flourish and produce. Not surprisingly, cool-season crops want the temperate weather of spring and fall, and some even tolerate light frosts.

Early August is a good time to begin planting cool-season crops for fall harvest. Good sources of seeds include nurseries, Gurneys Seed (gurneys.com) and Park Seed (parkseed.com). Some seeds offered by Park Seed and others are USDA-certified organic seeds harvested from certified organically-grown plants.

Among the easiest cool-season crops to try your are radishes, carrots, and all kinds of greens, including loose leaf lettuces, spinach and arugula. Look for choices with the shortest time to maturity.

Radishes and carrot seeds can be planted now in loose soil and full sun. Lettuces and greens planted now should be grown in partial shade, or in sunny sites later in the month.

Trees and shrubs

• In heat and drought, provide extra water for newly planted trees and shrubs. Slowly soak the root zones so that water percolates down to between 8 and 12 inches. Create a saucer-shaped mulch ring over the roots to conserve moisture.

• Monitor trees and shrubs for insects and disease. Japanese beetle feeding should end by midmonth. Damage typically does not jeopardize plant health, making chemical controls generally unnecessary.

• Pruning is not advised this month, with the exception of shrubs that have just flowered, or to remove storm damage.

Flowers

• Continue to deadhead spent flowers of annuals and perennials to encourage additional flowers. Allow some dried flowers to remain standing for fall and winter interest, including astilbe, coneflower, and tall sedum.

• Water container gardens as needed, as often as daily or twice daily when weather is hot, dry, or windy.

• Remove yellowing day lily leaves that are browned and spotted. All green leaves must remain on plants. Day lilies can be divided and replanted at the end of the month.

• Do not fertilize roses after the first week of the month.

Edible plants

• Monitor tomatoes for blossom end rot. Because they are so moisture-sensitive, they need even, constant moisture.

• Continue harvesting vegetables so the plants will continue producing.

•Harvest herbs regularly so plants avoid forming flowers. Snip new shoots to use fresh, dry entire sprigs, or freeze for future use. Herbs that taste better frozen include basil, chives, cilantro, fennel and parsley.

• In hot weather, some lettuces and cabbages can bolt quickly and form seed stalks. These stocks turn leaves bitter, and should be removed as soon as they begin to grow.

Lawn care

• During drought or excessive heat, turf grass plants can go dormant. Grass blades will turn yellow but the plant will remain alive with just one-half inch of water over several weeks. Grass will green up as soon as normal rainfall returns.

• Mid- to late August is the best time to seed or sod bare spots or overseed thinning grass. Use a seed appropriate to the site. Cultivate the top few inches of soil and broadcast seed and starter fertilizer according to package instructions. Cover with loose straw to prevent bird damage. Keep soil moist until seed germinates.

• Try to dig out crab grass before it goes to seed. It's an annual and one of the first plants to show maroon fall color.

•If browned-out areas of turf show up this month, pull back the sod to count the number of grubs. If the number is larger than 10 to 12 per square foot, controls are warranted. One option is to apply a product containing imidacloprid in late June next year.

•Denise Corkery is a horticultural writer at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.