Basil is a warm-weather, fragrant herb that tastes great in many dishes—including the beloved 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. For other uses, one or two basil plants yields plenty.
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Hi Mani, please contact me on
Hi Mani, please contact me on koochooloo@email.cz.I have different seeds from last year, simple sweet basil but also others like tulsi, which you probably know.I will send them to you in exchange for the pictures of the plants.
Other emails to this address will be ignored!!!
Hello - We live in SoCal and
Hello -
We live in SoCal and received a basil plant for Christmas. Are we able to plant it outdoors right now, or should we keep it indoors until spring and provide it plenty of light?
Thanks.
Basil is a tender annual and
Basil is a tender annual and is best planted outdoors in spring. Keep the plant in a sunny location indoors until you are ready to transplant it outdoors.
I planted Thai Basil for the
I planted Thai Basil for the first time this past summer in a raised container. They went crazy and attracted more honey bees than I thought existed! Next summer we would like to try beekeeping and I am wondering if anyone has had success specifically using Thai Basil as their source off pollin. I would like to protect the basil as much as possible through the winter (colorado) and am looking for recommendations.
Since basil is a tender
Since basil is a tender annual, it will not survive wintery climates. However, you could bring your basil inside for the winter if you can provide plenty of bright light. You may need to put them under an artificial light 10 to 12 hours per day. As annuals, basil plants will flower and die eventually, even indoors. You'll want to start or buy new plants each spring.
Is it possible to save the
Is it possible to save the basil root ball for next growing season? If so, what is the process? I'm reading conflicting things about it being an annual or not. Thanks for any help anyone can offer me.
Some readers have had luck
Some readers have had luck overwintering a basil plant indoors. Rember that basil loves warm weather and lots of light. It helps to have flourescent lights. It may be easier to take a few cuttings from your outside plant at put them in water. After a couple of weeks you'll see new roots on the stems and you can plant the cuttings in pots. Keep the pots in your sunniest window.
Hello! I had my Basil growing
Hello!
I had my Basil growing outside, but I finally brought it in the house, because the animals were eating the Basil and one of them broke the stem. It's not broken completely. How do I fix it and how do I keep it growing during the winter?
You might try gently securing
You might try gently securing the top and bottom stem together with florist's tape, or electrical tape. After doing that, you might also attach a small splint, such as a twig, to the area (again, using stretchy tape). Basil can take pruning, so depending on where the break is and whether diseases or insects got to the injury, your plant might recover. Give it a warm spot inside, where it gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight; water when soil is dry down to an inch deep. Set the pot on a tray with pebbles and fill the tray with water to just cover the pebbles--this will provide some humidity. Pinch off any developing flowers, to prolong the plant's life. Basil is a tender annual, but some people have had success overwintering it (search for "winter" on this page to see various tips and comments).
Use paraffin wax, as it will
Use paraffin wax, as it will fall off as the plant grows and heals. Paraffin will naturally biodegrade. Tape and twin may inhibit the plants growth.
My basil has blossoms now .
My basil has blossoms now . Wasn't able to harvest it before now. Is it still usable even though it has well developed blossoms?
In terms of taste, it is
In terms of taste, it is important to prune the plant periodically. Once basil blossoms, it becomes woody and the quality of the taste is affected with more bitter flavors arising. The flowers have pretty blooms though, so if your plants flower, create a bouquet.
I have had the different
I have had the different times that basil flowered, and the flowers are just as tasty as the leaves. The flavor may be slightly milder, but not as much as when it's dried. I think I actually liked the cinnamon basil flowers better. You just need to chop it up finely (or blend it into a pesto)
I have grown basil for many
I have grown basil for many years and have never seen what I am about to describe. First of all, there are a few plants in one small store bought pot kept on my table outside in Fl. Today I noticed that the stems were covered in what I thought were aphids but when I ran my fingers over them they didn't squoosh like insects do. The small "things" covering the stems, like an infestation, were very hard. I scraped them with my nail and they came off and I could really smell the basil. The "things" did not move at all and there are no ants present that could be harvesting the "things". It almost looks like the stems are putting out tiny roots that are harder than the stems. These hard "things" are present all over every stem and seem to have appeared over night. What is this and what does my plant need me to do ? Thank you.
It sounds as if you basil
It sounds as if you basil plant wants to spread some roots. It's doing well!
It sounds like Scale, it's an
It sounds like Scale, it's an insect and will drain your plant of most of it's ability to grow and will eventually kill the plant.
It's unusual on Basil but you can kill it with mineral oil from a garden centre. Do not just apply any old oil to your plants as it will effectively kill them as well, mineral oil is dissolved in water and becomes a white cloudy solution t can be used in getters or ponds where mosquitos and laying and it will kill them very effectively.
Spraying the solution on your basil will also get the scale.
Learn from my mistakes! It
Learn from my mistakes! It may be root buds! I noticed a lot of yellow & Brown egg-like things on the stems of my basil recently & panicked! I spent the next hour removing all of them, cursing any creepy crawly that was nearby, thinking there's no way I was going to let them take over my basil! Then, about 2 weeks later a strong wind took out half of my basil plant, breaking 2 of the main stems. I decided it was a good opportunity to propagate the basil then, so I made a fresh cut off of one of the broken stems & put it in water in the hopes it would sprout! (Success btw!) While keeping a close eye on my clippings (they were in a glass mason jar), I noticed...yellow & Brown egg- like ROOTS shooting out of the stems! Eureka! Root stems! They grew into long beautiful roots & eventually took root in soil. I later read that it's not uncommon for over-watered potted basil to develop root buds above the soil & along the stems. I think that's what u noticed, considering that there was a "strong basil smell" and I noticed the same thing when I removed all off of my plant! So, if u see them again, don't fret! Let it grow. Because your basil is in a pot, like mine, it will branch out where it can. To keep your plant healthy & limit the chances for pests, reduce the amount of water you give your basil to 1-2 times a week or water when the top inch of soil is dry. Good luck, happy growing!
I received a plant as a gift
I received a plant as a gift & it was doing well. I went to work, when I came home all the leaves were gone. They hadn't fallen off. What do you supposed happened to them?
There are many kinds of pests
There are many kinds of pests from beetles to critters. Try spraying with Neem Oil mixed with water.
I live in Long Island, NY.
I live in Long Island, NY. This is my 3rd Summer planting my own garden, so I am still learning as I go. The first year planting my garden, I planted 2 basil plants and they did wonderfully. They grew tall and lasted throughout the Summer. Last Summer I also planted 2 and one died shortly after planting it and the other lasted through out the Summer, but it didn't grow very tall so I didn't get much from it. So this year I planted 3 basil plants & 1 cinnamon basil plant. So far one basil plant & the cinnamon plant is already dying and the other 2 plants are starting to show signs of wilting. The leaves are turning yellish and some have holes in them. What can I do to bring these back to life? I planted them at the right time, I water them daily and the temperature is hot enough for them to thrive in. I can't figure out what it is that I am doing wrong. I haven't done anything different than I did the first year so I can't understand why it did so well the first year and why it hasn't since.
Basil plants can have a
Basil plants can have a variety of bacterial and fungal leaf, stem, and root diseases. Aphids and other insects may also cause problems. Check the plants for insects. Have you grown the basil in the same spot in your garden all 3 years? The soil may need a bit of compost and it is a good idea to move the plants to a different spot every year.
Your soil may be too wet.
Your soil may be too wet. Basil needs well-drained soil. Try watering every other day.
Started my basil from seeds.
Started my basil from seeds. They sprouted, but I think I sowed too many seeds in one peat pot. Their are so many little green sprouts covering the pot! Should I thin them out now, and transplant them in individual pots. (Doing my first container garden! Yikes!) if so, how many per pot, and what size pot is recommended. They seem to have stopped growing any bigger at this point. Overcrowding? Or normal until more mature? Please help!
Transplant them when they
Transplant them when they have 2 to 3 pairs of "true" leaves. (This means normal-size leaves, not the tiny ones of baby seedlings.)
As they get larger, even before true leaves, you could thin by cutting the weak seedlings to soil level with scissors. That way, you won't risk disupting the roots of the stronger ones.
Plant them 6 to 12 inchea apart.
I got Lemon Basil & Purple
I got Lemon Basil & Purple Basil today. Is it safe to plant basil in a flower garden? In addition, if I bring the Basil plants in over the winter will they survive for the next season? My USDA Hardiness zone is 7a
Thanks
Basil is happy almost
Basil is happy almost anywhere so it should be happy among flowers. Your purpole variety actually produces pink flowers when it goes to seed!
Overwintering is not usually an option; basil is an annual.
I planted basil and tomatoes
I planted basil and tomatoes two weeks ago. The tomato plants have doubled in size but the basil isn't growing. I pinched the tops just in case but no action. Help!
What do you mean 'prune above
What do you mean 'prune above the second set'? Mine already have more than six leaves, can I still harvest them?
Hi, Ryan, That means prune—or
Hi, Ryan,
That means prune—or harvest—above the second set (pair) of leaves from the soil up. This will help the plant become stronger from the stem and not straggly and top heavy.
If you have six leave on one stem in three sets, the advice is to pick only the top two leaves. You can eat these, btw. As it says above "Every time a branch has six to eight leaves, repeat pruning the branches back to their first set of leaves."
Hope this helps!
I planted some basil plants
I planted some basil plants from a nursery a week ago and a few leaves on two of the plants are yellow and have holes in them. I live in northeast Ohio. Can you give me a diagnosis?
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