Basil Buddings?

[The Ranger]

[Another article posted to ba.garden, too. -- TR]

I live in Zone 9. We've been experiencing some wild weather with temps well into triple digits.

During that time, I purchased two beautiful 1-gallon basil beauties from Trader Joe's, planted them in direct sunlight, watered them regularly, and they took with no difficulty to their new digs. Today, when I went out to trim some leaves, I noticed the silly things are blooming from every tip. Is there a way of stopping that cycle or is it too late and I'll just have to live with them cutting out soon?

The Ranger

[George Shirley]

As an herb they will hit the peak of their flavor when they bloom. Take the blooms and the top portion of the plant to use in cooking or to dry or freeze. Pick the other leaves as you need them for the same purpose. They should live until first frost. I live in USDA zone 9B.

George

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

Pinch the blooms back! That will extend the life of the plant. Be ruthless.

And use the blooms in recipes. Yum! ;-d