Bringing
Nutrition
to Connecticut

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Sow seeds about ¼ inch deep, or plant a small starter clump.
3. Keep the soil moist. Seeds are slow and can take 1–2 weeks to sprout.
4. Leave the sprouts in a clump. Chives grow well crowded together.

Everyday care

• Water 2–3 times a week, or whenever the top layer of soil feels dry.
• Chives like cool weather, so spring and fall are their best seasons. Growth can slow in midsummer heat.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer about once a month.

Harvesting

• Start snipping when the leaves are about 6 inches tall.
• Cut with scissors 1–2 inches above the soil, taking the outer leaves first.
• Never cut more than a third of the plant at once. It grows back from the base.

Watch out for

• Yellow tips: usually too much water, or cutting too much at once.
• Thin, floppy leaves: not enough light.
• Tiny insects on new growth: aphids. Rinse them off with a spray of water.

Planting

1. Use a pot with drainage holes and a light, well-draining potting mix.
2. A small starter plant is the easiest way to begin. Thyme seeds are tiny and slow, often 2–4 weeks to sprout.
3. If you use seeds, press them onto the surface and barely cover them.
4. Plant at the same depth as the starter pot, water once, and set it in your sunniest spot.

Everyday care

• Water about once a week. Thyme dislikes wet soil more than dry soil.
• Give it as much sun as you can: a south-facing window or a grow light.
• Skip fertilizer, or use only a very light feeding once or twice a season.

Harvesting

• Start picking once the plant is 4–6 inches tall.
• Snip stems just above a set of leaves. Avoid cutting into the hard, woody base.
• Never take more than a third of the plant at once.

Watch out for

• Brown, mushy stems at the base: too much water.
• Sparse, stretched-out growth: not enough light.
• Woody lower stems: normal with age. Trim regularly to keep it full.

Planting

1. Use a pot with drainage holes and a well-draining potting mix.
2. Plant a small starter plant, or sprinkle seeds on the surface and barely cover them. Seeds usually sprout in 1–2 weeks.
3. Keep one strong plant per pot.
4. Water well after planting, then set it in your sunniest spot.

Everyday care

• Water lightly, only when the top inch of soil is dry.
• Oregano needs lots of sun. Use a south-facing window or a grow light.
• Go easy on fertilizer. Overfed oregano grows quickly but tastes weaker.
• Pinch the tips now and then to keep it bushy.

Harvesting

• Start picking when stems are 4–6 inches long.
• Snip just above a pair of leaves. Flavor is strongest before the plant flowers.
• Pinch off flower buds, and never take more than a third of the plant at once.

Watch out for

• Yellow, droopy leaves: too much water.
• Long, sparse stems: not enough light.
• Weak flavor: too much fertilizer or too little sun.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix, stopping about an inch below the rim. It needs drainage holes.
2. Sprinkle a few seeds over the surface and cover them with about ¼ inch of soil.
3. Keep the soil moist and warm (above 70°F). Seedlings usually sprout in 5–10 days.
4. When seedlings have two sets of true leaves, thin to the strongest one to three plants.

Everyday care

• Water every 1–2 days. Check with a finger: if the top inch is dry, it is time.
• Basil hates the cold. Keep it away from drafty windows, and bring it inside if nights dip below 50°F.
• Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength every 3–4 weeks.

Harvesting

• Start picking once the plant has six to eight leaves.
• Pinch each stem just above a pair of leaves. Two new shoots grow from that spot.
• Pinch off flower buds as they appear, and never take more than a third of the plant at once.

Watch out for

• Drooping leaves: usually thirsty. Basil wilts fast when dry.
• Yellow leaves: the soil is staying soggy. Check that the pot drains.
• Tall, pale, leggy plant: not enough light.
• Black, limp leaves: the plant got chilled. Move it somewhere warmer.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Sow seeds about ¼ inch deep and an inch apart. They usually sprout in 7–10 days.
3. Plant seeds right in the pot. Cilantro does not like being moved once it has sprouted.
4. Thin seedlings to about 2–3 inches apart.

Everyday care

• Water when the top inch of soil is dry, and do not let the pot dry out completely.
• Cilantro prefers mild weather. In hot spells, move it out of the afternoon sun.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer every 3–4 weeks.

Harvesting

• Start picking when the plant is about 6 inches tall, usually 3–4 weeks after sprouting.
• Cut outer stems at the base and leave the center to keep growing.
• Never take more than a third of the plant at once.

Watch out for

• A tall, wispy stalk with feathery leaves: the plant is going to seed (bolting), usually from heat. Pick what you can and sow again.
• Yellow leaves: too much water.
• Stretched, pale stems: not enough light.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Soak seeds in warm water overnight to help them sprout, then sow about ¼ inch deep.
3. Be patient: parsley seeds can take 3–4 weeks to sprout. Keep the soil moist the whole time.
4. Thin to the strongest one or two plants. Parsley has a long root, so avoid moving it later.

Everyday care

• Keep the soil evenly moist, watering when the top inch starts to dry.
• Parsley does fine with 4–6 hours of sun and tolerates a little shade.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer about once a month.

Harvesting

• Start picking when stems have three sets of leaves.
• Cut the outer stems at the base and leave the center to keep growing.
• Never take more than a third of the plant at once.

Watch out for

• Yellow outer leaves: too much water, or just old leaves. Trim them off.
• No sprouts after two weeks: keep waiting. Parsley is slow.
• Striped green caterpillars: pick them off, or let them be. They turn into swallowtail butterflies.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Sow seeds about ½ inch deep and an inch apart. They usually sprout in 5–14 days.
3. Spinach sprouts best in cool soil, around 45–70°F. It will not sprout well in heat.
4. Thin seedlings to about 3–4 inches apart. The thinnings make good baby greens.

Everyday care

• Keep the soil evenly moist, and water when the top inch is dry.
• Spinach likes cool temperatures, about 50–70°F. Indoors in winter, use a bright window or a grow light.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer every 2–3 weeks.

Harvesting

• Pick baby leaves when they are 3–4 inches long, or let them grow to full size.
• Take the outer leaves and leave the center to keep growing.
• Or cut the whole plant about an inch above the soil. It may regrow.

Watch out for

• A tall center stalk and bitter leaves: too warm. Pick what you can and sow again somewhere cooler.
• Yellow lower leaves: too much water, or the plant needs feeding.
• Holes or winding trails in leaves: pests such as slugs or leaf miners. Pick them off by hand.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Scatter seeds thinly over the surface and cover with a light dusting of soil, about ¼ inch.
3. Water gently. Seeds sprout in 2–7 days and do best at 60–70°F.
4. Thin seedlings to about 4 inches apart. The thinnings make tasty baby greens.

Everyday care

• Lettuce is thirsty. Check the soil every day, and water gently so it stays evenly moist.
• Lettuce turns bitter in heat. Move the pot to shade when temperatures climb above about 75°F.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer every 2–3 weeks.

Harvesting

• Pick the outer leaves when they are 4–6 inches long and leave the center to keep growing.
• Or cut the whole plant about an inch above the soil. It often regrows for a second harvest.
• Rinse and eat soon after picking for the best flavor.

Watch out for

• Bitter taste or a tall center stalk: too hot. Pull it up and replant.
• Holes in leaves: slugs or caterpillars. Pick them off by hand.
• Wilting in moist soil: too hot, or the pot is not draining.

Planting

1. Fill the pot with moist potting mix. It needs drainage holes.
2. Scatter seeds over the surface and cover with about ¼ inch of soil.
3. Water gently. Arugula sprouts fast, usually in 3–7 days.
4. Thin seedlings to about 3–4 inches apart. Eat the thinnings as baby greens.

Everyday care

• Water when the top inch of soil is dry, and keep it from drying out completely.
• Arugula grows best in cool weather. Heat makes the leaves spicier and sends the plant to seed.
• Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer every 2–3 weeks.

Harvesting

• Pick baby leaves when they are 3–4 inches long, usually 3–4 weeks after sprouting.
• Take the outer leaves and leave the center to keep growing. You can pick again in a week or so.
• Young leaves taste milder. Older leaves get sharper.

Watch out for

• Very spicy or bitter leaves: too hot, or the leaves are old. Pick younger leaves.
• Tiny holes in leaves: flea beetles. Pick off what you can and keep the soil moist.
• A tall flower stalk: the plant is going to seed. The flowers are edible, then sow again.