chunks of sanity: Basil Valdez: A Gardening Story

One time while I was surfing the web, I chanced upon this picture:

I couldn't even remember where I saw this, if you own this picture, please let me know.

The pictured uncovered in me a long held secret: I wanted to be a gardener. Of course I did not know anything about gardening. The first and probably only thing I have successfully grown were some alugbati (Basella alba) shoots my mother and I planted in our backyard when I was just a boy. The moment they showed leaves, we promptly cooked them for dinner.

I was convinced I needed to make a vertical garden. With the most exotic ferns and a self-irrigation system I would build with my own hands. My wife had some apprehensions about my plan, naturally. You see, we as a couple have never taken to plants kindly. In our first apartment, my mother-in-law showered our front lawn with pots of greenery. She gave us orchids, a nice pine-looking shrub, a hardy snakelike fern -- you can really tell I have a vast knowledge of plant names -- and lots of succulents. I think save for the snakelike fern, we killed them all! (Side note: we also had a wild okra living in our lawn which we intentionally and repeatedly tried to kill, but it survived each murderous attempt.)

Then I discovered The Horticult and got hooked. Warning: If you remotely like plants and value your time, do not click that link.

It was then decided that I start small. I should probably convince my self, along with my household, that I have green thumb before I can get anywhere near a vertical wall. Over a nice breakfast of a simple Italian insalata dish of bread, basil and tomatoes, it was decided that I plant basil first.

This meal is too simple to prepare, it shouldn't be called a meal. But it is. And it is delicious!

Fist, is the business of looking for soil. I remembered there is a gardening store near our office and I took a look during lunch break. I didn't realize it was also a full-blown nursery! There I met an old woman who was the caretaker of the place. She showed me around, but refuses to have her picture taken.

You can see the quick-footed manang in red a bit here. Man, she could navigate that garden with her eyes closed!

Passing by this row of ferns, I whispered to them an ominous, "Soon."

I asked to buy a pot of soil, and she sold me a nice loose one for 20 bucks. Nice.

I got some basil plants from SM grocery store and re-potted them the next day. Full disclosure: Officemates gifted me with a basil seedling once, but it never got re-potted and died a sudden death. We named that plant Basil Valdez after a Filipino singer. Before its demise, Basil Valdez did contribute to a lot of omelettes and even gave a leaf or two for a pesto experiment. You did good, Basil.

In honor of Basil Valdez, the new basil plants have been Christened Basils Valdez. Here they are after 2 weeks: