EarthBox 2010 Parking Lot Garden

[mjb8743]

Mickie..I tried your idea of drying the Basil in the oven on parchment paper 350 for 8 minutes.   It worked perfectly, not too dry, still fragrant.  I am planning to try the freezing method today but I think this 8 minute plan may work out the best.
Thanks
Judi

I have a ton of basil and threats of frost looming soon... What do you mean by "not too dry"? If the dried basil is crumbled into a jar, is it dry enough to even crumble, and will it get moldy in the jar? I guess I'll have to try it, now that you've paved the way 

I may try several batches, increasing the time in 30 second increments, to see where the limit is for dryness and quality. The same goes for the ton of parsley on my back porch.

Mickie

[baileyj]

Sorry I was not more clear.  When I dried my Basil in the dehydrator it was soooo dry--Almost to the point of burnt 

..when I tried the 8 minutes at 350 in the oven..it seemed perfectly dry, crumbled well and I do not think will mold in the containers.

I am going to try the freezer method from Mrs.Gardendoc with the next batch...but it takes up freezer space so I think the 8 min/350 will win out for me.

Don't you hate chasing the Frost risk ??   Let us know how it goes, it sounds like you have alot to harvest...

Good Luck,
Judi

[the*blonded*one]

I am late on this thread but John and I dehydrated the basil together using the lowest setting on the Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator - ED 2900. This is one AMAZING machine! If you are serious about dehydrating, from herbs to jerky, this is the one!

[sonja johnson]

  John, what a beautiful garden. MY husband ask me to ask you if you have had any trouble with plastic tees. Thank You.
                                Sonja Johnson, Tampa, FL.

[John]

Thank you Sonja,
We have replaced the middle "T" connectors with straight aluminum connectors to make the connection between the aluminum tubings even better for the heavy vining crops.
Thanks again for the compliment.  It was yet another great year for the parking lot garden here at EarthBox!

[sonja johnson]

Thank you for the reply, we will take your advice.
                  Sonja Johnson,Tampa Fl.

[Rockdawg]

Hello John,
     The parking lot garden is AWESOME. It appears you have help with the harvesting, or that could be a time consuming activity. How great is it to spend the majority of our time picking instead of weeding.
     When you say some plants were burnt, do you think it was because of the blacktop your boxes are sitting on? I have been trying to decide where to expand my fenced in area, to accommodate more EBs. I have to fence in any growing areas because of the large Deer herds in my area. We get temps into the low 100s, in the summer. I have been wondering if having my EBs on the casters would help keep them cool enough on the blacktop.
     Does anyone else have experience with EBs on blacktop or concrete?
Rockdawg

[John]

Hi Rockdawg,
Harvesting can be a time consuming activity that you'll never hear me complain about.
This year, we experienced a HOT spell at the beginning of our warm-season planting resulting in some of the young, tender plants burning on the blacktop.  Some shade cloth would have helped but I needed a such a large amount as you can see in the pictures.  Most years the blacktop is an asset; starting my seedlings up to two weeks earlier compared to traditional in-ground gardening. If we can only predict the season....Overall, because I am here in the NorthEast part of PA (zone5), the blacktop does have more advantages than not.  

[sandradiaz770]

Thanks,
However a few of the plants did "fry" given that it has become very HOT here.

[John]

Hello and Welcome,
Where are you located?