Running a farm and being a full time community college teacher at the same time can be tough. Both pursuits can be fun and rewarding in their own respect but the combination can be exhausting. I know I'm not the only one else out there working multiple jobs to make ends meat. #farming #teaching

While indoor gardening is fun there is just something missing without the insects. Looking forward to a summer filled with the spectacle of pollinators. #pollinators #plants #gardening #insects #agsky #plantsky

Big shout out to the hard working folks at the National Germ Plasm Repository for getting me these seeds. We are branching out into breeding all of the various cultivated ocimum species which are all collectively referred to as basil.
#USDA #AgSky #plants #plantsky #farming #agriculture

The Basil lab is enjoying the indoor warmth during our bought of frigid temperatures.
#plantsky

#agsky

#plants

#gardening

#herbs

Totally fire basil seedling loaded with terpene rich trichomes. This one was spawned by our Fruit Slice basil. #agsky #plantsky #plants #gardening #herbs

Interesting hybrid basil showed up in the Interstellar Nebulae seedlings. It will be interesting to see how it matures. #plantsky #agsky #botany

This light stressed basil gave me a visual reminder of what happens when we overwork ourselves and don’t sleep. We are going to get cooked. Take a break and relax when you can it’s important.

#plantsky #plants #agsky

Temperate Tulsi is a powerhouse basil commonly sold as holy basil in the US. It is a wild East African basil. Our hybrids incorporate its genetics to achieve interesting flavors and disease resistance. #agsky

Recently we noticed one of our hybrid basil plants was oozing with sweet citrus smelling resin. It’s like something I’ve never seen before. I can’t wait for its progeny to grow up.

Basil flowers are perfectly edible. In fact many basils have the best flavor when the plant is flowering but seeds are not setting yet. Flowers are flavor.

#food #herbs #gardening #basil #basilflowers #cooking

Did you know that Africa has the most varieties of Basil? The ocimum genus originates in Africa and different species of basil grow wildly and are cultivated across the continent. Many African varieties are also resistant to basil downy mildew and they have very unique delicious flavors.

Starting a farming business has been a struggle. We have experienced many of the plights farmers experience including agricultural disease. We finally overcame basil downy mildew with a combination of biodiversity and selective breeding.

#farming #agriculture #plants #smallbusiness #basilplant

Basil the joyously diverse herb!

#basilplant #gardening #agriculture #botany #plants #herbs

In our basil breeding endeavors we strive to breed basil for higher essential oil content because that is where the flavor is. We do this by breeding for higher concentrations of glandular trichomes. This stunning basil flower shows an example of our work. #plants #botany #herbs #gardening

Last year we had an amazing grow season. We put a heavy focus on our BeeKeeper basil seedline and the results were spectacular. The plants were very unique and displayed expectational flowering. Our seed harvest was bountiful. #basilplant #herbs #gardening #farming #botany #horticulture

If you haven't tried Ethiopian sweet basil it is a must try. Ethiopia is a hot bed of sweet basil and it has been grown there for thousands of years. It even grows wildly there.

Our honeybasil is looking good in the grow tent although recovering from a recent bought of light stress. Can't wait to get them under the sun this summer and produce a big crop of seeds. #basil #herbs #plants #gardening #farming

Its the New Year and spring is coming rapidly. Running a basil breeding farm can be exciting because every year is a new year of adventure. New varieties from around the world to try and new hybrids to reveal themselves. #gardening #farming #spring #basil #herbs #plants