Kyle's Organic Upgrade

Kyle (challenge no. 24) is getting taller and greener every day after a few weeks of being rather ill. It was user error on my part as I placed him on the window sill behind the bedroom curtain and then forgot he was there. He was not happy with me after that and gave me the silent treatment for days. Then it was brought to my attention that plants need to be fertilized. So I (organically) fertilized the s**t out of him to make up for my previous neglect. He perked right up after that. I love my little coked out basil plant:

The Basil Plant That Could

Kyle (challenge no. 24) may be the turtle of basil plants (he's growing at a slower rate than I read he should be), but he sure is good lookin':

And to think this is where we started:

A New Home

This weekend I went house hunting for Kyle (challenge no. 21), who was threatening to outgrow his current residence. I found this vase at West Elm (they assured me it was appropriate for growing herbs), and completed the move successfully, or at least I hope I did:

 New home.

Thirteen weeks.

I think I'm about a week away from calling this challenge. Pesto for everyone!

Ten Weeks

Kyle turned ten weeks old on Tuesday, despite the fact that I almost killed him for a second time (roof deck + heavy rain = pissed off Kyle). He is looking and smelling a lot like basil, which is good considering that's pretty much his only job. Here he is hanging out with my pointer finger:

Soaking up some morning rays:

My only regret is that I didn't attempt to do a time lapse video of Kyle's growth. But if I had, it might have looked something like this:

Hump Day Haiku

I'm a big fan of the haiku. This one goes out to my favorite basil plant, Kyle the Resilient (challenge no. 24).

you were once mere seeds

toward the sun your green arms reach

glad you did not die

I May Have Some Emotional Issues

I came home this afternoon from a long weekend away to find Kyle, my beloved six-week-old basil plant (challenge no. 24), sad and wilting, on his tiny brown deathbed.

And so, I did what any normal human being with a soul would do. I let my belongings fall to the floor, ran over to him with tears welling up in my eyes and screamed, "Nooooo!"

I really, really wish I were kidding.

I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, which might have been a factor. But the point is, I didn't realize how emotionally attached I could get to a plant. I made something grow. I gave something life. And then I gave it death.

After changing immediately into sweatpants, listening to Elliott Smith on repeat and watering what was left of Kyle with my pitiful, salty tears, I saw a glimmer of green hope. Underneath the cold dead stems were some stems with life still left in them. I pulled out all the shriveled ones, and lo and behold, there were some fighters who had just been buried underneath all of the death. If I had stopped crying for two seconds I probably would have heard their tiny little cries for help.

Brave soldier.

In short, I may have overreacted. As of this moment, Kyle still lives. There may be less of him, but by God, I will nurture the crap out of those soldier stems. They will grow up to be the strong Italian basil leaves they were meant to be, go to a good basil college and have thriving basil families.

And then I will make pesto.

Five Weeks Old

Happy Presidents Day! I am the president of growing basil. Here is a look at Kyle's progress (challenge no. 24):

Planning for Kyle's Future

Kyle, my Italian basil plant (challenge no. 24), continues to bask in the sun on the windowsill of my "dining room," also known as "that corner in our apartment where we managed to squeeze a bistro table." While I nurse him into adulthood, I've been planning for his future a la some pretty fantastic looking basil recipes:


Blood Orange Basil Gimlet, courtesy of Design*Sponge.

Of course, a pesto is a good way to go. I found this recipe for raw vegan pesto and plan to toss it with some zucchini noodles or kelp noodles and top it with some Rawmesan cheese. Yes, that is a thing. It's actually incredibly delicious. Or perhaps, if I'm feeling ambitious, I can attempt to make raw vegan lasagna.

Soups are also in Kyle's future. They are incredibly easy to prepare and will make some great lunches for challenge no. 20. I love corn soups, and corn and basil make a wonderful pair. I plan on turning this recipe for cream corn with basil into a soup by putting all the ingredients in a blender and adding a little almond milk.

Feel free to share your favorite recipes involving basil. They don't have to be raw vegan. I do live with a 6'4" carnivore.

They Grow Up So Fast

I did it! I gave birth to a living thing! Here's a peek at baby Kyle, the Italian basil plant, spawn of challenge #24. Kind of looks like someone cracked a joke at a tiny basil cocktail party:

Kyle at one week old.

Meet Kyle

Challenge #24 is to raise a basil plant and name it Kyle. Sounds easy, but keeping anything green alive is difficult for me. The Kyle seeds arrived a few days ago as part of a kit that also included the soil and container. I planted them yesterday and set future Kyle on a window sill that gets drenched in sunlight for the first half of the day. Not much to look at just yet, but hopefully in a few weeks we'll start seeing some greenery sprouting from the dirt.

I followed the directions on the kit in terms of planting, but it didn't tell me how often I should water it. Any green-thumbers out there know how often I should give Kyle a drink of water?