Posted on July 7, 2021 by hartj

Due to a mild summer and regular rain we were still harvesting many of our summer vegetables in mid autumn! We had a huge crop of basil. It grows as a small bush with lots of leaves on each stem. At the end of the plants lifecycle you see beautiful purple/white flowers.

The smell of basil reminds us of pizza and tomatoes as basil and tomato are campaign plants. They like to grow together because the smell of the basil deters Aphids. Aphids suck the sap from the leaves and fruit of tomato plants. Year 4

Harvesting some of our big rooted parsnips was a real team effort!

Parsnips grow in soil with pH 6.0-7.0, that means it is slightly acidic. In the below photo we are testing the pH of the soil in our garden beds using universal indicator. We concluded that the pH of our soil in our garden be 7 which is neutral and the best for growing most vegetables. We are also testing the pH of many everyday items to develop a better understanding of pH levels.

The light intensity should be high but slight shade is ok. They like soil with lots of fertilizer which puts nutrients into the soil.

Parsnips are a root vegetable that is high in fiber and a good source of Vitamin C.

Parsnip, sweet potato and red lentil soup is delicious!