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Growing Basil – Learn how to grow it easily – Annual

There is nothing quite like growing herbs to add a farm fresh flavor to all your recipes. And if the plant is easy to grow, even better! Every kitchen gardener should try their hand at  growing basil.

If you are into vegetable gardening, it’s a great herb plant to add into your crops, too.

Basil is a herb with has many varieties.  It is very easy to grow and is unsurpassed for turning ordinary meals into masterpieces!

There is no substitute for fresh basil.  It tastes much better than the dried spice.  There is no comparison in flavor.

Learn how to grow Basil

Even though basil is an annual in most zones, when frost is on the way, don’t despair. There are lots of ways to preserve fresh herbs to use during the winter months.

Basil is considered a lucky plant by those who believe in feng shui.

Tips for Growing basil

Basil has a lovely aroma and produces flowers that are quite pretty as well.

The flowers on basil are edible but if the plants is allowed to produce flowers regularly, the flavor of the leaves declines, so it is best to trim the flowers when they do appear.

One of my favorite uses of basil is to just add the leaves to a salad.  It gives the dish a special fresh taste that just can’t be beat.

This is a picture of my basil plant for this summer.  I have two of them in one large patio container and they are about a month old now and doing well.

The purple one seems to be faring better than the normal green variety which has some yellow leaves.

growing basilHere are some tips to get great results growing basil.

  • You can start with either small plants or with seeds, but seeds take longer of course, so starting them indoors before the last frost is a good idea.
  • If you grow in pots, be sure to have good drainage. Basil likes well drained soil. A soilless seed starting mix works best with seeds.
  • Be sure the plants get at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Mine are on my deck in large planters and they get direct sunlight most hours of the day and do very well.
  • Water often when it is hot and dry.  Here in NC, during the summers months, I water the planters every day.  During the cooler months, I do it every few days. Just don’t let the soil really dry out or the plant will suffer.
  • Prune often.  Basil plants will get tall and very leggy if you don’t. But if you pinch out the growing tips, it will encourage side shoots to grow and your plant will be a lot fuller.
  • Prune the flowers as they appear (they are edible).   If you do not prune, you will end up with bitter basil.  This is more likely to happen in extra sunshine.  I have to prune mine often
  • Plant basil near tomatoes to avoid hornworms. It makes a great companion plant.
  • Basil can be frozen in fall to extend the flavor and use of it over the winter.
  • Use fresh basil to make basil pesto. It makes a delightful sauce for my baked barramundi recipe.

Basil is a good plant to grow near cucumbers. The flowers attract pollinators which will be a help to the cucumbers, preventing them from being deformed and the cucumbers turning yellow.

When you prune, take a nice length of stem.  Basil is very easily propagated from cuttings. Place them in seed starting soil, with a bit of hormone rooting powder,  and you’ll have new plants to share in no time at all.

When it is possible that  you may get frost in the fall, cut all of the basil on long stems and tie it. Hang it to dry.

The herbs will be completely dry within a couple of days. then you can either keep them right where they are (just tape them to the inside of the fridge to save space) or break the herbs apart to fit into air-tight containers for storage in a cool and dark place.

Basil is an annual so it will need to be planted each year unless you live in the very warm zones.  Our zone is 7b and I need to plant it each year. Basil varies in leaf style and color. Green and purple basil leavs Once you have your basil growing well, what do you do with it?  My friend Stephanie from Garden Therapy has a great article on ways to use and preserve fresh basil.

You can view her article at Garden Therapy.

15 recipes for using and preserving fresh basil.Have you tried growing basil? What was your experience like?

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Bonna

Thursday 30th of July 2020

Hi Adriana, I bought seeds for sweet basil. They were tiny black seeds like poppy seeds . What grew in my garden I cannot I.D.

adrianna

Tuesday 16th of July 2013

Can these tips be applied to all kinds of Basil or just the purple flowered ones? I planted Green Basil (i can't remember what it was called on the packet) and Purple basil but the only kind of flowers that came up are little white ones.

admin

Tuesday 16th of July 2013

Hi Adrianna. I have both types of basil in the same pot and treat them in the same way. They are all fairly thin leaved and all flower in some way so can be treated just the same for growing tips.

Carol

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