summercraft: willi's basil box

I first heard about Willi Galloway and DigginFood when my cousin who lives in Seattle heard Willi on the radio and called to tell me that she thought I would like her. I checked out her gardening and cooking blog and did indeed like her. What’s not to like? She makes applesauce with neighbors on her block, gives away jars of honey, and writes for Organic Gardening magazine. Plus, her name is Willi. You may have seen her amazing veggie garden last summer, when it was featured in Sunset magazine. Now she’s here to share a terrific idea for a summer hostess or birthday gift (or keep it for your stoop if you’re too pleased with the outcome to give it away!). Here's Willi:

One of my most favorite parts of summer is harvesting armfuls of basil and making a huge batch of my grandmother’s pesto. I freeze little mounds of the pesto and cook with it on especially dreary winter days because it always reminds me of sunshine and gardening. This little basil box would make a fun hostess gift, especially if you tucked in a recipe for pesto.

For the project, you’ll need:

1 wooden crate or box

1 small bag of potting soil

Corks

Glue (preferably hot glue, but super glue works, too)

A drill (if your crate has a solid bottom)

Basil seedlings

Step One: You will need to drill drainage holes in crates with sold bottoms. If your crate has a slatted bottom, you can skip this step. To prevent soil from spilling out of the slats just line the bottom of the box with a piece of burlap cut to fit. 

Step Two: When I told the owner of my local wine shop, Bin 41, about my plan for converting this box into a planter, she suggested making legs for it out of corks. I thought it was a great idea! The legs can be as high as you like. I made mine about ½ inch tall—just high enough for water to freely drain out and for air to circulate underneath the box. Hot glue from a glue gun would probably be the best way to affix the legs, but I used super glue because that is what I had on hand.

Step Three: Fill the container up with damp potting mix to within ¾ of an inch from the rim of the box.

Step Four: Four-inch pots of basil typically contain a clump of several plants. It is important to separate the individual seedlings before you plant them in the crate. Gently tease the root ball open and carefully wiggle the seedlings apart.

Step Five: Plant the basil seedlings in staggered rows, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Don’t worry, the plants will look a little floppy at first, but once the roots take hold they’ll straighten right up. For the first week, place the container in a spot that gets afternoon shade. Once the plants perk up, move them into full sun (6 hours of bright light each day) and keep the soil consistently moist. If the container gets crowded as the basil grows, just pinch out every other plant and use for seasoning or making the first batch of pesto.

You can leave the box plain, or paint the crates or stencil on a cute design. Free or inexpensive crates are often available at wine shops, plus you can get wooden bulb boxes at nurseries in the fall and vintage crates at garage sales and thrift shops. I scored a bunch of old crates with Japanese characters on them at an estate sale last year for $1 each.

Thanks so much Willi, I'll happily host you anytime!

Comments

[Prue]

Freeze pesto - what a brilliant idea - I'd never thought of it!

[Lidiana Braziolli]

Hello, Kelly> My name is Lidiana and I'm a brazilian journalist in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Sorry, but my english is terrible! But I can try talk to you? I love your site and I would like you to join the Blog Lili. It's possíble? Thanks!

[Willi]

Kelly--Thanks so much for asking me to do a summer project! It was fun! Though I'm not sure if I can bear to give my box away!

[Rachel]

Aww, this is so sweet and perfect for summer! Thanks so much to both of you for the great project, I'll be linking.