Basil and Cilantro
In Seattle, the garden shops won’t sell tender herbs until the weather is appropriate. For things like basil, that means the temperatures can’t drop below 50F at night. So we won’t really start seeing plants in shops until mid to late May. I’m a little antsy, though, I decided to get an early jump on my basil.
On April 22nd I planted cilantro and three types of basil seed: Purple Ruffles; Siam Queen, a Thai Basil; and Italian Large Leaf, the sweet basil most people are familiar with. In the following photo you can see Cilantro seeds on the left and the Siam Queen seeds on the right. Italian basil seeds are a tiny bit larger and Purple Ruffles are quite a bit smaller than the Siam Queen seeds.
I was so happy this morning to discover that the basil seeds are already sprouting – just 4 days after planting! They are as anxious as I am! If you look really closely in the following photos you can see little, teeny-tiny leaves just barely breaking soil.
Siam Queen Basil Seedlings
Purple Ruffles Basil Seedlings – some are green and some are purple.
Aren’t they cute?? :-) The Italian is also full of little seedlings and the cilantro should be popping through soon – although I’m surprised at how fast the basil came up!
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Culinary Fool 
You are my hero!I see my neighbors slaving-away during weekends–planting flowers, bushes and trees. And I think to myself, "What a bloody waste of dirt and sweat! They can\’t eat any these things that they\’re planting."I wish I had a neighbor like you…so that I could mooch a handful of that Thai Basil once or twice per week.Sal
Hey, Sal! Well, I wish you were my neighbor, too – that would mean I was living in Spain! Hooray! And I am always looking for people to share my herbs with so you\’d be doing me a favor by mooching. :-) As for the people planting flowers and trees – that\’s okay, too – that\’s food for the soul. Although you\’d think they could work in a few edible things! Although, did you ever see that old commercial with the guy talking about pine trees – "many parts are edible, you know…"~B