Tomatoes and sweet corn may steal the show, but I think basil is one of the tastiest parts of summer. There’s just no comparing the store-bought stuff to vibrant, fragrant basil leaves fresh from the garden. Plus, they’re worth their weight in gold. Per pound, both fresh and dried basil are more expensive than steak. If you love basil and have some in the garden, it’s time to preserve it before frost comes! Here are a few simple ways to preserve basil.

Short-term Storage for Fresh Basil

Placing your fresh basil in the refrigerator is the obvious choice for short-term storage, but it may not be the best one. Basil is a heat-loving herb that quickly begins to wilt and brown in cold temperatures. The folks over at The Kitchn actually tested basil storage methods and found that basil kept at room temperature lasted the longest!

So, if you have basil that you don’t want to preserve long-term, but will not use immediately, dig out a vase or cup. The best way to store basil short-term is like a bouquet of flowers. Keep the bottoms of the stems submerged in water at room temperature on your counter or kitchen table.

Freezing Basil Puree

Freezing basil puree is a popular method for preserving basil because it preserves the herb’s vibrant color and creates an easy-to-use product for pasta dishes, soups, and more.

To make the puree, you’ll need about one tablespoon of olive oil for every cup of packed, fresh basil leaves. I also like to include a dash of lemon juice, as this can help keep the color and flavor vibrant.

To make the puree, simply blend your basil leaves, olive oil, and lemon juice in a high-speed blender or food processor. Then you can pack them into freezer-safe containers. For small servings, freezing the puree in ice cube trays and then popping them out into a larger container once they’re solid is a great option. For dishes like pesto, you may want a larger serving size, like 1/4 to 1/2 cup of puree.

Drying Fresh Basil

Another simple way to preserve basil is to dry it. Home-dried basil is still much more flavorful than store-bought, and it doesn’t take up any room in your freezer.

You can air-dry basil (and other herbs) in a spot with good airflow, out of direct sunlight. To dry basil, I like to cut the stems and tie them into small bundles before hanging them upside down. You can also hang a paper bag, open side down, over your basil bundles to protect them from dust. Air-drying basil can take 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the temperature and humidity.

If you live somewhere that’s still very humid, air-drying may not be the best option. In high humidity, basil could mold before it fully dries. Use a dehydrator on the herb setting, usually between 95°F to 110°F for 4 to 12 hours. It’s not the best option, but you can also dry basil in an oven set to between 170° and 200°F.

Making Basil Salt

Basil salt is a fun and simple way to preserve basil that doubles as a great holiday gift. All you need is about 2 cups of fresh basil leaves and one cup of kosher salt. Use a blender or food processor to pulse together your salt and basil until they’re well-combined, and the salt looks green and damp.

Then spread your basil salt out onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet and place it in the oven at about 200°F or the lowest your oven will go. Let the salt bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s dry and brittle.

Once it’s dry and cool, break it up and place it into airtight containers.

Other Recipes for Using Fresh Basil

Here are a few other great recipes to help use up your basil harvest:

• Basil Infused Honey from The Kitchn
• Pork and Holy Basil Stir Fry (Pad Kra Pao) from The Woks of Life
• Chef Eric Adjepong’s Salmon and Arugula Frittata with Pesto
• Grilled Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed With Basil and Parmesan Mayo Recipe from Serious Eats
• Lemon Basil Syrup from Garden Betty

Ultimately, the best way to preserve basil is the one that works best for you. If you love having ready-to-go ingredients in the freezer, try basil puree. If you want to create your own unique spice blends, try making basil salt or drying your own basil for a classic, easy to grab option that will stay good with no refrigeration.

What’s your favorite way to use or preserve basil?

When most gardeners think about controlling weeds organically, they think about the sweaty summer labor of hand-pulling weeds and cultivating rows. Thankfully, there are other ways you can help keep weeds in check without resorting to chemicals. While most garden work happens in the summer, fall is a good time to take a few steps to keep your garden weed free year round. Here are a few of our favorite organic weed control methods for fall.

Silage Tarps

Traditionally, spring meant tilling, but what if your garden beds were already ready to go come spring? Many organic market gardeners rely on silage tarps for organic weed control to keep beds weed-free and ready for spring planting.

Start by doing bed prep in the fall. Weed your garden and incorporate compost and any amendments that your soil needs, like lime. Then, tarp your garden beds for the winter so they’re ready to go early. This method also minimizes spring soil disturbance, which prevents you from bringing more weed seeds to the surface.

Mulching for Organic Weed Control

If you’ve kept up with your beds this summer, mulch is a great option for winter organic weed control. Mulch breaks down fast in the Southeast, so you want to use a thick layer of wood chips, straw, or leaf mold. Some gardeners like to place a layer of newspaper or cardboard first for extra weed protection; just make sure you remove any packing tape and glossy labels.

We love using wood chip mulch around perennials and winter-grown crops like garlic and bulb onions. Alliums, like garlic, perform poorly with high weed competition, so mulch is key to good production. The mulch breaks down through the winter, so it’s a good idea to add more in late winter or spring.

Solarizing for Organic Weed Control

This organic weed control method is best used in late summer or early fall, when you’re still getting a good bit of sun each day. Solarizing is similar to tarping, but rather than using a dark-colored tarp, you’ll need a clear sheet of plastic. The clear plastic will help create a greenhouse-like effect and “cook” weed seeds, pests, and pathogenic microorganisms in the top layer of soil. The downside is that beneficial insects and fungi may also be affected.

To solarize your soil, start by removing any large, tall, or woody weeds. Then water the soil well and cover it with clear plastic sheeting, pinning the edges with bricks, wood, or other weights. You want it to be as airtight as possible so that it can heat the air beneath the plastic and sterilize the soil.

Leave your plastic in place for about 4 to 6 weeks for optimum results. Then you can sow cover crops, plant fall and winter crops, or cover the soil with mulch.

Winter Cover Crops for Organic Weed Control

Winter cover crops are another great way to reduce weeds in the garden, and they come with many other benefits. Depending on the crop you choose, your winter cover crop may help add nitrogen to the soil, increase organic matter, help break up a hardpan, improve drainage, provide habitat for beneficial insects, or act as a mulch for spring crops.

Here are a few of our favorite winter cover crops for organic weed control:

• Austrian Winter Peas
• Clover (red, white, crimson)
• Hairy Vetch
• Winter Rye
• Winter Wheat
• Buckwheat
• Daikon Radishes
• Oats

Winter is a great time to build healthy soil with cover crops! Check out our full post, Soil Season: Winter Cover Crops, for help selecting a cover crop and planting advice.

Late Weeding

Whatever method you use, knocking back any fall weeds before they go to seed can help make your garden easier to manage next season. In addition to preventing seeds from falling in your garden, autumn weeding can also help set back perennial weeds and winter annuals.

That said, we still like to leave patches of flowers and native plants for wildlife and beneficial insects. Even after these plants die back, their stems and seeds provide valuable habitat.

 

When autumn arrives, we’re all ready to take a break from the garden, but a little extra work now can pay off in the long run. Using these methods of organic weed control can help reduce your weed pressure next spring and set you up for a better harvest.

When planning a garden, radishes often get overlooked as we think about garden classics like tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet corn, but radishes have a lot to offer. They’re easy to grow for beginners, quick to mature, and surprisingly cold tolerant. They’re also an excellent crop for Southeastern gardeners looking to stretch their season into fall and winter or produce an early spring harvest. In this post, we’ll cover how to choose a variety and grow winter radishes.

Types of Radishes

We typically divide radishes into two categories: spring radishes and fall radishes. Despite the names, you can grow both of these types as winter radishes. However, they have some unique traits to consider that we’ll outline below.

Spring Radishes

These are the small, crisp radishes you may have eaten in salads. They’re quick growing and thrive in cool weather. Depending on the variety, you can have radishes ready to eat just 24 to 30 days after planting! They may be mild or a bit spicy. Below are the spring radishes we currently carry:

• Cherry Belle

• Easter Egg

• Red Head (Roodkopje) Radish

• Sparkler White Tip

• White Icicle (Lady Finger)

Don’t let the name fool you; spring radishes are also suitable for fall planting. What separates them from fall radishes is their storage ability. Spring radishes are best used fresh, and when left in the ground too long in warm weather, will become woody.

Fall Radishes

These radishes are larger, slower-growing, and more starchy, with a more robust flavor. They also have a much longer shelf-life and are a bit more cold tolerant. Below are the fall radishes we currently carry:

• Round Black Spanish

• Daikon

• Miyashige White Daikon

• Misato Rose

Unlike spring radishes, these radishes are day length-sensitive and should not be sown in spring. You can plant these radishes in late summer or fall for fall and winter harvests. These types keep well in the root cellar or soil in areas with mild winters. Often, it’s best to harvest these larger radishes with a fork or spade.

Shop all radishes.

Season Extension for Winter Radishes

Depending on where you live, you’ll likely need to provide your winter radishes with some additional protection if you want to have winter harvests or an early spring harvest.

Low tunnels, high tunnels, and cold frames are good options for winter radishes. If you have a freeze in the forecast, you can also cover radishes with an additional layer of row cover for extra protection. Remove the row cover when temperatures rise above freezing.

When to Plant Winter Radishes

Exactly when you need to plant winter radishes will vary with your climate, chosen variety, and desired harvest date. Whatever radish you choose, it’s important to consider your winter low temperatures and how seasonal variations will affect the radish’s days to maturity.

Spring radishes are best when temperatures stay about 30°F. At lower temperatures, the roots may become pithy and unpalatable. Fall radishes handle the cold better and may be fine down to 20° or 25°F.

While season extension techniques like high tunnels offer some protection, unless you have a heated greenhouse, those living in colder areas will want to plan their sowing date so that crops are ready to harvest before temperatures fall that low in the winter. For those sowing in late winter for an early harvest, wait until the worst of your cold weather has passed.

As you’re calculating those planting dates, it’s also important to consider that crops will grow slower in cooler temperatures when the day length is shorter. For crops sown in late summer or fall, we add about 15 days to the ‘days to harvest’ period. If you’re growing radishes in the dead of winter, it can be even slower; radishes sometimes taking double their normal time to reach maturity.

Winter Radish Care and Watering

Radishes are an easy crop to maintain, but they benefit from a bit of care. Thinning and irrigation are important considerations for good radish production.

Typically, we sow radishes fairly thickly to ensure good germination. However, as they mature, thinning is critical for radishes. When you fail to thin radishes, they may fail to produce bulbs and or produce elongated roots.

Watering is also important, especially for winter radishes in a high tunnel or cold frame that aren’t getting rainwater. In the first week after sowing, water regularly to keep the soil moist and ensure good taproot growth.

After a week, as the plants start to grow a bit more, you can slow down on watering a bit. Over-watering at this stage can cause the bulbs to crack. To avoid over-watering, only water when the soil dries out or the plants look stressed. You want to soil to be moist but not saturated when you water.

Radishes are among the easiest crops to grow and are a great option for extending your season. Whether you have a large high tunnel or a little cold frame, you can grow radishes this fall and winter to get a bit more from your garden.