Time for an experiment!
I just realized that I have a lot of basil seeds, and a lot of different types of compost sitting around here…so I came up with the genius idea to try growing basil in each of them and see what happens.
What really brought this experiment along is that I had to cut down my only tree in the backyard the other day, so now I have my first direct sunlight ever since moving into my house a few years ago. My balcony makes a great place to put tons of plants now…I can hear them thanking me.
From left to right, the candidates are: Dirt from across the street, compost from a commercial compost facility (computer controlled high temperatures and goretex covers), tea leaf compost from the Random Tea Room here in Philly, compost from my tumbler, and finally vermicompost sourced from the Worm Inn and worm bin.
The pots are all filled with organic fertilizer, and the top inch is the specified type of dirt. I’m essentially brand new to gardening, but I learned that you can’t grow plants well in pure compost…it needs to be a mix. Each pot has 8 tiny sweet basil seeds in it, and they are all being watered the same, twice a week. Maybe three times. My concern is that it’s pretty damn hot and I don’t want the soil to dry out.
Yes yes, there will be a video when this is all concluded, whenever that is. Actually, I’ve been quite flattered by the number of people that have been asking me about results of old experiments…thanks for the reminders, and I feel pretty good that other people are kinda watching what I’m doing.
What errors can you think of that could swerve this whole experiment? I’m sure there’s plenty. But I’d just like to give it a try and see what happens…if I can get others to think about composting a little bit more in their daily lives, I’m stoked.
Let the basil growing begin!