Current practices aim to produce quality containerized culinary herbs at the end of greenhouse production, but the effects of fertilization choices during production on the post-production performance of these crops in the retail and consumer environment are unclear. This study aimed to quantify the effects of fertilizer type, source, and concentration applied during the greenhouse production phase on the post-harvest performance of containerized culinary herbs during the retail and consumer phases. Seedlings of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Nufar’) were transplanted into 11.4 cm-diameter containers filled with certified organic soilless substrate compromised of peat moss and coarse perlite and irrigated with solutions containing 100, 200, or 300 mg∙L –1 N from a conventional or organic water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) starting at transplant and throughout the end of the greenhouse phase, seedlings were; or were transplanted into the same organic substrate with amended with 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75 kg N∙m-3 from conventional controlled-release (CRF) or organic slow-release fertilizer (SRF) and irrigated with clear tap water Plants were grown in three different phases: 1) in a greenhouse for 21 d with 22°/18° day/night air temperatures and 12 mol∙m–2∙d –1 daily light integral (DLI) to simulate the greenhouse production phase; in a growth chamber for 7 d at 20° constantly with a DLI of 1 mol∙m–2∙d –1 to stimulate the retail phase; and, after harvesting shoots above the second node, an additional 21 d in a growth chamber with the same conditions to simulate the consumer phase. One-third of the plants were harvested at the end of each phase and data was collected. During production, conventional WSF produced plants 1.3-5.7 cm taller than all other treatments, but by the consumer phase there were no differences across all fertilizer treatments. The optimum fertilizer type and concentration for basil varied between conventional and organic sources. Fresh mass of basil was greatest for plants receiving conventional WSF, which were 4-9.5 g greater than plants which received conventional CRF. However, plants receiving organic SRF had a fresh mass which was 2.1-3.9 g greater than plants receiving organic WSF treatments. Fertilizer treatments did not affect the rate of biomass accumulation, but the phase did. The relative growth rate was lowest in the consumer phase compared to the greenhouse production and retail phases. The results of this study indicate fertilizer type, source, and concentration do not impact containerized basil growth and development in the post-harvest consumer environment.
