How to Grow Basil

Learn how to grow basil from seed to harvest. Basil is a fragrant and flavorful herb that a easy to grow for a beginner or experienced gardener. 

I love basil. It tastes amazing. Often Basil can be very expensive in the store. However, growing basil isn’t very difficult and growing just a few plants will provide you all the basil you need. 

Selecting variety of basil:

The first step you need to make is determine what kind of basil you want to grow. Botanical Interests has several different varieties. I prefer Basil Italian Genovese or Basil Italian Large Leaf. I prefer these because they have larger leaves and I like the flavor. 

Planting: 

Basil can be grown in the ground, raised beds or containers. Basil needs to be watered consistently.

Starting seeding inside: plant 4 seeds 1/4″ in each pot. Once plants are 2″, thin to 1 per pot. You will need Basil needs lots of light so grow lights are a must. Start them 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside. Basil is very sensitive to frost so be careful to not transplant them too early.

Sowing seeds outside: Plant them 1 to 2 weeks after the last average frost. The night time temperature should be 50 or above before sowing seeds outdoors. Plant in an area that gets full sun. Sow 4 seeds every 10″. Thin once plants are 2″ to 1 plant every 10″.

Harvesting:

Basil’s flavor is best if harvested right before plant begins to flower. The flavor is also best when harvested in the morning. You can pull the leaves off or cut off the top 1/3 of the plant. Never cut more than 1/3 of the plant. The smaller leaves are best used fresh. The larger, older leaves are great for pesto.  If the plant begins to flower, cut off the top 1/3 of the plant. 

Cooking with Basil:

Some recipes that use basil are Basil Pesto, Cheesy Pesto Breadsticks, Caprese Salad, and Roasted Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Feta.

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