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Thai basil starts?

Thai basil starts?
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  • Thai basil starts?

    Post #1 - March 31st, 2021, 10:48 am
    Post #1 - March 31st, 2021, 10:48 am Post #1 - March 31st, 2021, 10:48 am
    Hi,

    Yes, I can probably do this from seeds but I prefer to buy plant starts. Anyone know where they can be purchased locally? Looking primarily for Thai and Thai Holy varieties.

    Thanks,

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #2 - March 31st, 2021, 11:46 am
    Post #2 - March 31st, 2021, 11:46 am Post #2 - March 31st, 2021, 11:46 am
    You may want to call Meinke Garden Center in Niles to see if they have any, I haven't been there recently but in years past they had a wide variety of herb plants available.
    Cookingblahg.blogspot.com
  • Post #3 - March 31st, 2021, 11:57 am
    Post #3 - March 31st, 2021, 11:57 am Post #3 - March 31st, 2021, 11:57 am
    Coogles wrote:You may want to call Meinke Garden Center in Niles to see if they have any, I haven't been there recently but in years past they had a wide variety of herb plants available.

    Solid tip - thank you. Very much appreciated. I called and was told it's still a bit too early but by late April or early May they should have them. Also very nice that it's like 5 minutes from my office.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #4 - March 31st, 2021, 12:46 pm
    Post #4 - March 31st, 2021, 12:46 pm Post #4 - March 31st, 2021, 12:46 pm
    Home Depot in Niles had Thai basil last year. Menard's usually had a very broad and cheap selection but their stuff is horribly maintained, so half of every six-pack looks like it's dead.
  • Post #5 - March 31st, 2021, 12:54 pm
    Post #5 - March 31st, 2021, 12:54 pm Post #5 - March 31st, 2021, 12:54 pm
    Meinke Garden Center would be my recommendation as well (indeed I recommended it here and here and here). I was quite impressed with their selection, especially of unusual plants. I wouldn't be surprised if they had twenty varieties of basil. The selection of Asian (especially South Asian) plants is strong, with at least four kinds of bitter melon. Another strength is Mexican. A few years ago they had papalo (not particularly hard to find), pipicha (related to papalo), and chaya (nearly impossible to find around here). José, one of their gardeners, brings back unusual seeds from Mexico. If you can't find something, try to talk with him. Everyone tries to be helpful, but I don't think anyone knows the plants as well as José. And some of the most interesting plants aren't labeled.
  • Post #6 - March 31st, 2021, 1:25 pm
    Post #6 - March 31st, 2021, 1:25 pm Post #6 - March 31st, 2021, 1:25 pm
    I just checked, and Teresa Brockman still has tons of Thai basil left to order. All of her plants are $5, but you save 10% if you purchase 10 or more and 20% if you purchase 30 or more. She has lots of other basil plants, but she does not have holy thai basil. You would have to pick it up at the Evanston market. She is going to be there on 5/8, and 5/22, but I suspect that she will not bring her basil until 5/22, because 5/8 is too early to plant it outside. Basil is really delicate. Here is a link to her order form. https://www.teresasunnylanefarm.com/pla ... t-overview
  • Post #7 - March 31st, 2021, 3:05 pm
    Post #7 - March 31st, 2021, 3:05 pm Post #7 - March 31st, 2021, 3:05 pm
    I think I’ve found holy basil at Gesthemane but couldn’t swear on it. I know it’s the hardest to find.

    An alternative to seed would be buying the cut basil of your choice at one of the Asian markets and putting it in a cup of water—once it sprouts roots, plant it. Laikom does this every year and he gets a bumper crop. I’m trying it this summer.
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #8 - April 1st, 2021, 8:55 am
    Post #8 - April 1st, 2021, 8:55 am Post #8 - April 1st, 2021, 8:55 am
    Thanks for the information and advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I have the opposite of a green thumb but I'm going to do my best to expand into some Thai basil (and possibly a few other herbs) this year.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #9 - April 1st, 2021, 9:08 am
    Post #9 - April 1st, 2021, 9:08 am Post #9 - April 1st, 2021, 9:08 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Thanks for the information and advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I have the opposite of a green thumb but I'm going to do my best to expand into some Thai basil (and possibly a few other herbs) this year.

    =R=


    I was at Mariano's last night and they had potted parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary for $3.99 each. Fairly large organic plants (10-12"high?) in plastic pots. Easily transplanted and harder to kill (assuming the weather cooperates). Costco usually has large pots of lavender and rosemary that also transplant well.
  • Post #10 - April 1st, 2021, 9:25 am
    Post #10 - April 1st, 2021, 9:25 am Post #10 - April 1st, 2021, 9:25 am
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Thanks for the information and advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I have the opposite of a green thumb but I'm going to do my best to expand into some Thai basil (and possibly a few other herbs) this year.

    =R=


    I was at Mariano's last night and they had potted parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary for $3.99 each. Fairly large organic plants (10-12"high?) in plastic pots. Easily transplanted and harder to kill (assuming the weather cooperates). Costco usually has large pots of lavender and rosemary that also transplant well.

    Thanks. I have to hold off for a little bit because I think we've still got some frost potential ahead of us and I have no room for pots inside. I'll be planting in a location where the latest recorded frost date is May 2. I probably don't have to wait that long but late April seems safe.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - April 1st, 2021, 9:38 am
    Post #11 - April 1st, 2021, 9:38 am Post #11 - April 1st, 2021, 9:38 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Thanks for the information and advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I have the opposite of a green thumb but I'm going to do my best to expand into some Thai basil (and possibly a few other herbs) this year.

    =R=


    I was at Mariano's last night and they had potted parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary for $3.99 each. Fairly large organic plants (10-12"high?) in plastic pots. Easily transplanted and harder to kill (assuming the weather cooperates). Costco usually has large pots of lavender and rosemary that also transplant well.

    Thanks. I have to hold off for a little bit because I think we've still got some frost potential ahead of us and I have no room for pots inside. I'll be planting in a location where the latest recorded frost date is May 2. I probably don't have to wait that long but late April seems safe.

    =R=


    From my experience, any herbs but Basil and mint will be fine, so long as you don’t get a hard freeze—even a little snow won’t be an issue. For Basil, I’d suggest putting them in pots that you could at least move inside very temporarily until mid-May—they really, really hate cold...
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #12 - April 1st, 2021, 10:56 am
    Post #12 - April 1st, 2021, 10:56 am Post #12 - April 1st, 2021, 10:56 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Thanks for the information and advice, everyone. I really appreciate it. I have the opposite of a green thumb but I'm going to do my best to expand into some Thai basil (and possibly a few other herbs) this year.

    =R=


    I was at Mariano's last night and they had potted parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary for $3.99 each. Fairly large organic plants (10-12"high?) in plastic pots. Easily transplanted and harder to kill (assuming the weather cooperates). Costco usually has large pots of lavender and rosemary that also transplant well.

    Thanks. I have to hold off for a little bit because I think we've still got some frost potential ahead of us and I have no room for pots inside. I'll be planting in a location where the latest recorded frost date is May 2. I probably don't have to wait that long but late April seems safe.

    =R=


    We get loads of sun indoors and we also have several dwarf trees that move in and out depending on the season: olive, meyer lemon, lime and mandarin (all with edible fruit). Most of the trees did better indoors this winter than they did outdoors. Unpredictable. We had a banana palm that survived one winter outdoors. Might be time for a new one; they grow so quickly you can almost watch them grow. Herbs and Aerogarden plants will go out in May.
  • Post #13 - April 1st, 2021, 11:41 am
    Post #13 - April 1st, 2021, 11:41 am Post #13 - April 1st, 2021, 11:41 am
    As noted above, basil hates cold. The plants can be seriously damaged by temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.
  • Post #14 - April 13th, 2021, 5:34 am
    Post #14 - April 13th, 2021, 5:34 am Post #14 - April 13th, 2021, 5:34 am
    Just buy some cut basil at the store. It will readily root in a couple weeks in either water or potting soil. I only buy basil once in spring and then root cuttings every few weeks for the rest of the season. This is regular basil but I imagine it would be the same for other types.
    Coming to you from Leiper's Fork, TN where we prefer forking to spooning.

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