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Growing Basil
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Basil
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Basil
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Basil is a warm-weather, fragrant herb that tastes great in Italian dishes—and let’s not forget homemade pesto! Plant seeds or transplants after all danger of frost has passed and soil is warm, and it will yield an abundant harvest within weeks. Keep harvesting the leaves to keep the plant going strong.
The most common type of basil is sweet basil; other types include purple basil (less sweet than common basil), lemon basil (lemon flavor), and Thai basil (licorice flavor).
Basil is easy to grow but it only grows outdoors in the summer—and only once the soil has warmed up nicely—so plan accordingly.
If you’re planning on making pesto, grow several plants. Otherwise one or two basil plants yields plenty.
Planting
- To get a head start, start the seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last spring frost. (See local frost dates.)
- To plant outside, wait until the soil is at least 50 degrees—preferably around 70ºF for best growth. Don’t rush basil. Without heat, the plant won’t grow.
- Basil needs to be in a location that gets 6 to 8 hours of full Sun daily; soil should be moist and well-drained.
- Plant seeds/seedlings about ¼-inch deep and 10 to 12 inches apart. They should grow to about 12 to 24 inches in height. For smaller plants, plant farther apart (about 16 to 24 inches).
- During the dry periods in summer, water the plants freely.
- Remember to pinch out the flower heads as soon as they appear to make sure that the leaves will continue growing.
- If you’re planning on cooking with these plants, plant in clean soil (don’t use fertilizers that leave harmful residues) and grow them away from driveways and busy streets so that exhaust won’t settle on the plants.
- Tomatoes make great neighbors for basil plants in the garden.
Care
- Make sure that the soil is moist. Basil plants like moisture. If you live in a hot area, use mulch around the basil plants (the mulch will help keep the soil moist).
- After the seedlings have their first six leaves, prune to above the second set.
- Every time a branch has six to eight leaves, repeat pruning the branches back to their first set of leaves.
- After 6 weeks, pinch off the center shoot to prevent early flowering. If flowers do grow, just cut them off.
- If the weather is going to be cold, be sure to harvest your basil beforehand, as the cold weather will destroy your plants.
Pests/Diseases
- Aphids
- Variety of bacterial and fungal leaf, stem, and root diseases
Harvest/Storage
- Start picking the leaves of basil as soon as they are 6 to 8 inches tall.
- Once temperatures hit 80 degrees, basil will really start leafing out.
- Make sure to pick the leaves regularly to encourage growth throughout the summer.
- Even if you don’t need to leaves, pick them to keep the plant going. Freeze the leaves.
- If you pick regularly, twelve basil plants will produce 4 to 6 cups of leaves per week.
- The best method for storing basil is freezing. Freezing will prevent the plant from losing any of its flavor. To quick-freeze basil, dry whole sprigs of basil and package them in airtight, resealable plastic bags, then place in the freezer.
- Another storage method is drying the basil (although some of the flavor will be lost). Pinch off the leaves at the stem and place them in a well-ventilated and shady area. After 3 to 4 days, if the plants are not completely dry, place them in the oven on the lowest heat setting with the door slightly open. Remember to turn the leaves (for equal drying) and check them frequently. See more about drying basil, tomatoes, and paprika.
Recommended Varieties
- Cinnamon basil, to add a hint of cinnamon to a dish
- Purple basil, to add some nice color to your garden (when steeped in white vinegar, it creates a beautiful color)
- Thai basil, to add a sweet licorice flavor to a dish.
Wit & Wisdom
Where salt is good, so is basil. –Italian saying
Basil has a lovely fragrance. Pick from the stems and put in water for a few days as you would cut flowers!
For other greens to use in your cuisine, see the Leafy Greens: Health Benefits page.
Recipes
Cooking Notes
Make herbal vinegar which retains the flavor and makes a great gift!
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Reader Comments
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Storing basil
When mine starts coming in, I chop the leaves and fill ice cube tray section with about a tablespoon+ of herb - barely cover with water and freeze. Then seal in an airtight bag or container. Then when I make spaghetti, etc. in the winter, I just plop in an ice cube.
Growing Basil in a pot
Hi this past summer I grew my basil in a pot to avoid the deer and other animals from getting it. I used miracle grow potting soil and it did amazing, never saw such a beautiful plant, but....I was wondering if using a soil with all that fertilizer was ok??? health wise???
MiracleGro is full of toxic
MiracleGro is full of toxic chemicals, so yeah that’s kind of bad.
You are NOT correct
I think you need to check the label. Read more ... and you will fear less.
There are NO "toxic chemicals" in Miracle grow. It's a bag with varying amounts of peat, sphagnum, perlite, and compost ... +/- some mineral addition depending on the product you choose. Nothing "toxic" is there. If you don't like some of the compost constituents (animal material such as chicken or other poop, kelp meal, etc.) you can choose MG's "organic line" made with only vegetable material in the compost.
Or you can just mix up your own "miracle grow" using a 1:1:1 ratio (for most plants) ... however for MG in a bag is too easy to use, always mixed to the right ratio, and gives me fantastic results for herbs, big & juicy tomatoes, and fan fantastic roses (I use the rose food but planted them in standard MG). Not trying to stump for MG ... but let's not make unsubstantiated claims of toxicity trying to scare people away.
Sweet Basil growing directions
Hi, I'm trying to grow sweet basil in a pot we purchased at a local farmers market, I'm having issues with keeping the plant on our deck in full sun because the plant just wilted and has brown edges on most of the basil leaves, I recently as of today went back to the market and purchased a huge sweet basil plant which was just uprooted today, the merchant said to plant it in soil as soon as we got home, so after planting the new plant I left it in the sun since about 11:00 am and went to get a few leaves off for my Jersey tomato, cucumber and fresh mozzarella salad , the plant was "drooped over" like a weeping willow tree. so PLEASE tell me what am I doing wrong ? m I have so many different opinions about the care and watering schedule and sun exposure. Please help .
Thank You! We live at the Jersey shore in a waterfront community
basil woes
If the plant was just transplanted the same day, it likely needs a little TLC for a few days so that the roots can get established in its new home. Otherwise, wilting is a common sign of stress. In this case, put the plant in part shade for a while. Gradually expose it to more and more sunlight as the days pass. (If it is not able to be moved, provide some shade over it, such as with shade cloth found in garden centers.) Keep up with the watering, but don’t overdo–basil doesn’t like soggy soil. After this treatment, it should recover fine.
That being said, keep an eye on it once it is in full sun. If it starts to turn brown at the edges, it may be due to sunscald, which can happen during a heat wave. During times of extreme heat, provide some shade and be sure to keep up with watering. Brown edges and curling may also mean pests or diseases are attacking the plant–check for insects along the stem and under leaves. Too much water, too little sunlight, too much fertilizer can also bring on the same symptoms. Keep soil evenly moist, and allow plenty of sunshine once established, but provide shade during high heat. Hope this helps!
Something is strangling my young basil
Hello, all my other herbs are growing big and healthy. This is my second attempt at basil, this time from seeds. I was surprised how well they were doing a day or two ago, but today i noticed something strange. Instead of pest bites in the leaves, it appears the delicate stems have been strangled, squeezed or perhaps chewed? Does anyone know what could be doing this? Some of my other pots appeared to be dug in during the night, i suspect a wild rabbit. What should I do?
Walked into it
Be very very quiet. When we're hunting rabbit.
Snails love Basil
It's snails. They absolutely love sweet basil and a handful of them can completely devour a whole plant in one night where we live (London, UK). That is why we will never ever plant basil outdoors, in a bed or frame, or in an outdoor pot. Pots on outdoor windowsills or on the shelves in the greenhouse are also not safe, and no amount of slug pellets will stop them - who wants to scatter poison around an edible plant anyway? The kitchen windowsill (inside) is the only safe place. PS. the digging is birds, foxes etc. going for the snails.
Disagree About Light Recommendations
I have to disagree with the article's recommendation "Basil needs to be in a location that gets 6 to 8 hours of full Sun daily." We've grown basil for many, many years and have learned that basil does best for us in filtered light or when it's partially shaded from a neighboring plant. Basil consistently scalds in direct sunlight but thrives in filtered light in my northern climate. I can't imagine how it would do in full sun in a warmer climate.
basil
I concur, good observation
Basil light requirements
Basil grows naturally in tropical areas. It likes moisture, light, and warmth, but that being said, sun scald can sometimes occur, especially in high temperatures, or if a plant growing in lower light is suddenly placed in bright light. If this is the case, or you are finding that in your climate it doesn’t do well in direct sun, then definitely place it in part shade.
Harvesting The Plant
This is my second time ever growing basil, so I apologize if I sound rather foolish, but is there a method of picking the leaves from the plant? Should I use my hands or a shear? I don't want to take too much and end up killing the plant, or harvest in the wrong spot and end up with less than expected.
harvesting basil
To harvest basil, when the plant is at least 6 inches high and has more than 2 pairs of leaves along a stem, you can use your fingers to pinch the stem just above where a pair of leaves emerge (so you are harvesting leaves attached to a stem with a bit of stem below the bottom leaves), leaving at least 2 pairs of leaves on the remaining stem. Or you can use pruning shears or scissors to make the cut along the stem. Do not remove more than a third of the stem, or a third of the plant total. You can also harvest just a leaf or tw,o as needed. If you keep pruning the stems, it will encourage bushy growth. Trim off any flower buds that develop.
sweet basil sowing in rainy season
Can I try sowing sweet besil in rainy season
Basil in Rain
As we do not know the conditions in your location, we cannot say for sure whether basil would do well during your rainy season. However, basil doesn’t like being kept in wet soil—it prefers to be grown in moist, but well-drained soil.
Basil yield
I want to grow basil on a large commercial scale in a greenhouse, I would like to know how much yield can we expect per plant, because we are planning per single plant yield. Not on a Area basis.
Date published
Hello, I want to cite this page and just want to know the date it was published
Publish Date
The page was most recently updated on July 20, 2017.
What is wrong with my basil plant?
I was thinking it is downy mildew! But I am just not sure! I hope you could help and rescue my sweet basil! Thank you in advance for reading my post first of all. So I live in north Irving, Texas state ( Dallas area). The basil is been doing good but recently last few week I have noticed black spots on the random leaves! I water the plant in the morning around 7:30 am in the morning and only around the soil. I have seen these spots even on the top of the plant where there is no way of water splattering from the soil to the leaves! And I see that the leaves are a bit yellowish but not yellow! And leaves sizes have shrinks somehow!
black spots and more on basil
It’s not uncommon for basil, a relatively delicate annual, to begin to fail. It’s impossible for us to know exactly why. If it’s downy mildew there is nothing you can do about it. It can be brought in on transplants, in infected seed, or as airborne spores.
Are you letting the soil dry out before watering? Too much water can drown the plants. Are they getting adequate sun? Too much water, not enough sun——and heat——can cause it to fail.
And it could be something else, too.
A reader writes, Sounds like it could be spider mites. They can look brown with black spots…they’re leaf damage leaves brown thinning with black specks. Another reader suggests it could be whiteflies. Click here for more: https://www.almanac.com/pest/whiteflies
It could be aphids. Read more about these here: https://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids
We hope this helps.
first time taing care of a itailn basil
Hello,
I had recently purchased a basil plant a cople of days ago at my local Farmer's Market and the plant is getting tall. I live in Southeastern Nebraska. Should I grow it indoors or would be allright outdoors? I have a garden and I am thinking of planting in my garden. I have currently rn out of the soil that helps veggies and flowers grow well and strong but I do have miracle grow and the dirt I have in the garden is brown dirt that my mom has told me wors well and it has formy surgar snap peas and flowers. Iwas told to keep the plant in its cup for a few days and today I need to move it. For me should I plant it indoors or outside?
basil
You can transplant your basil plant outdoors when temperatures are in the 70s in the day and above 50 at night. This annual likes warm temperatures. Choose a sunny spot that gets about 6 to 8 hours of sun. It likes rich, moist, well-drained soil. A mulch, such as shredded leaves or untreated grass clippings or straw, can help to keep soil moist between waterings. Miracle-Gro fertilizer can help give your plant nutrients if your soil lacks them, but will not help with drainage or other issues, if there are any. Certainly worth a try!
hi, I'm doing an experiment
hi, I'm doing an experiment on basil seedlings at school and I am looking at the growth rate. if you could help me out on average how many cm do basil seeds grow per day?
Brown spots
Hi! Just transplanted a already growing basil plant to a bigger container on my balcony! It has been growing fine from what I can tell but my leaves have brown spots on them!
brown spots
Brown spots on basil can indicate a variety of issues. Avoid watering basil leaves from overhead; only water at the soil level and don’t let water or soil splash on leaves.
Seedlings?
Hi, I planted some seeds several weeks ago. They have sprouted quickly, but are not producing their first set of true leaves. It has been at least 3 weeks since they sprouted. Any advice? Do they need fertilizer?
Basil Seedlings
Initial basil growth can be slow, but to help yours along as much as possible, make sure that they’re getting enough light (full sun, 6–8 hours a day), enough water, and that temperatures aren’t dropping below 50°F. If those factors are under control, you may add just a bit of a 10-10-10 fertilizer, following instructions on the packaging.
Basil used in Pizza
Does anyone know which basil is used in pizza? I have grown different basil over the years trying to find that flavor. Years ago we bought some basil leaf spice from the store it made the food taste like eating pizza, the store stopped making it. At first we bought basil spices from different companies not one them have the pizza taste.
Basil for Pizza
Yum. Basil and pizza. A lot of readers use a Spicy Globe variety of basil, but others prefer a Sweet Basil. It has the flavor most associated with Italian cooking, similar to ‘Genovese’ or ‘Classico’ used on Margherita pizzas in Italy. See more about basil varieties here: http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/gardening/basil-varieties-garden
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