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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Your dead basil
Sounds like it could be spider mites? They can look brown with black spots...they're leaf damage leaves brown thinning with black specks I believe. Maybe their larvae are white
my dead basil
Sounds to me as whiteflies if they are white and look like white powder/dust when u shake the plant almost impossible to get rid of unless you treat but then thebasil will be bad to consume a good way to keeping pests off before they do make a hme of your plant mix soap and water and spray on your plant everyday
Hot summers
I live in the Central Valley in California (Fresno to be exact) and we get pretty hot summers. What can I do to protect my outdoor basil plant from dying?
basil and the heat of summer
I wouldn't worry about it. I live in Arkansas, and last year it got up to 112 degrees--my basil flourished. Just make sure it get enough water.
Growth/height after 1-2 weeks?
I'm not sure if my basil plants are growing correctly, what is the average height it should be during the 1-2 week point?
It takes a week just for the
It takes a week just for the basil seeds to germinate and see the seedling start to emerge. You should see two broad seed leaves, each shaped like a capital D, borne with flat sides facing each other.
house plant
I have one growing in my livingroom, I get snow where i live in the winter, so this year i thought i would try and keep one inside. so far it is doing great, i have had it for about month and a half. any thoughts?
Basil can grow indoors if has
Basil can grow indoors if has plenty of bright light. Some folks install artificial lights and run for 10-12 hours daily. If your basil grows, you'll enjoy harvesting the leaves indoors for cooking. Keep in mind that basil is an annual so it will eventually finish flowering and die. Then you start again seeding in the spring.
I guess that I have been
I guess that I have been lucky then. I've got one basil plant that is now two years old and still producing good basil. I've been pruning them back just before the end of the season so that the "woody" stalks have from 4 to 6 leaves per stalk. As the season gets to the first frost, they have added on a couple of leaves and I move them indoors to one set of windows that get great light all year long.
I've managed to keep harvesting leaves all through the winter as well. I do make sure that they don't get spindly and trim back dead stalks as needed.
@rcain
read above about aphids,that sounds like what is on your plants
basil storage--Elaine
I like to store my basil by making large batches of pesto. I then wrap it in plastic and shape it into a roll and freeze. When I need some, I slice off what is needed easily.
picking the basil
This is the first time I have grown basil. I have 4 plants of sweet basil and the above talks about pruning the branches mine has no branches just bunches of leaves and they are sprouting their 4th set with little one inside can someone explain how to prune the basil thanks
Every time you cut some basil
Every time you cut some basil leaves to eat, cut right above a pair of leaves and new growth will come. For culinary uses, prune basil every few weeks to encourage maximum production; just pinch off the flower buds as soon as they begin to emerge.
Storing Basil in olive oil
Tried & true method.
In a clean glass jar
Place a layer of basil leaves.
Add a layer of salt.
Then a layer of olive oil.
Add your next layer of basil repeating the step sequence until the jar is 2/3 full.
Finish with a layer of oil.
Cap & place in the refrig.
Stir the leaves once in a while leaving the top laver of oil covering the leaves.
In a few weeks you will have potent basil oil.
Add a tablespoon/teaspoon of oil (leaves to if desired) to any dish for summer flavor in the winter.
Salt your dish if needed after tasting.
Remember to top off the oil to keep the leaves submerged or they will brown.
This will keep till the next years harvest & beyond
Enjoy!
Lisa
Basil in oil
Be generous with the salt layer.
Many times I just use the oil on top to cook my eggs or add to a salad.
Remember to use a good olive oil!
Basil in olive oil
Thanks so much... first time growing Basil will try this method this year. I love to see herbs in oil but never knew how to do it.... thanks again!i
Layer volumne
How thick should each layer be in a one quart jar, or, I guess, in any jar? Thanks.
Kra1st@aol.com
drying sweet basil
When I naturally dry sweet basil, sometimes the leaves turn brown. How can I keep from this happening?
Make sure that you're
Make sure that you're washing the basil leaves before you're drying them. Also, make sure you're keeping them in a cool, dry place, and they should keep for weeks.
white sticky sacks on the basil
I have some white sticky sacks on the basil but they never get hard. I am sure it is a bug of some kind but not sure what. They wash off real easy but I would like to know what they are and how to get rid of them instead of washing them off as they are there again in the morning.
sacks
read above about aphids
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