How to Grow Basil

A staple in any home garden, basil is a versatile herb that can be used in a range of dishes. Rich in vitamins A, K, and C as well as calcium, iron, and magnesium, basil has been associated with regulating blood sugar, relieving heartburn, reducing depression, boosting the immune system, repelling insects, and so much more. A member of the mint family, it grows easily in pots or garden beds and is a fantastic place to start if you are just beginning your gardening journey.

When to grow Basil

Basil likes the warmth so you want to wait until after the last frost to plant it if you live somewhere cold. In the tropics and subtropics, you may get around with growing it all year round. If you do get a cooler winter, you will likely find it dies off in the cooler months but if you leave it where it is, it will probably come back to life in the spring when the soil starts to warm up again.

Basil varieties

There are more varieties of basil than you may think. They definitely don’t all taste the same so why not give a few different ones a go? Here’s a few you might like to experiment with:

· Genovese or Sweet – The classic basil we are all most familiar with – grows large fragrant leaves

· Thai – As the name suggests, commonly used in Asian dishes – has a slight liquorice flavour

· Lemon – a lovely lemon flavour that is perfect in salads

· Lime – similar to lemon basil, this one has a nice zesty lime taste

· Dark Opal – A red/purple variety that adds a splash of colour and antioxidant hit to your salads

· Aristotle – a miniature leaf that gives it an ornamental quality as well as being a tasty garnish or addition to a salad or other meals

How to grow basil from seeds

Basil is easy to sow direct into the pot or garden bed you’d like it to be in but also transplants well if you prefer to use seedling pots/trays first. It does grow fast though so you’ll want to be ready to transplant soon after the seedlings emerge.

Your basil plants will grow happily in pots or containers on the patio or even on your kitchen bench as long as they have plenty of sunlight. Basil needs at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive.

Sow the seeds around 2mm deep and around 30cm or 12 inches apart if direct sowing to allow plenty of room for the plant to bush out. Having said that, Mark recommends being liberal with

your seeds and growing it in a crowd. Either way, be sure to keep the soil moist but not wet once you’ve planted the seed.

Seedlings will begin to emerge around 5-10 days after planting.

How to grow basil from seedlings

For lush, healthy basil, ensure you want to ensure you plant your seedlings into good soil, rich in organic matter. Space your plants out to allow them to grow large and bush out. Lightly water the seedling in with a seaweed solution such as the Plant Doctor’s Seaweed Secrets (use SSME10 for 10% off your order) to minimise transplant shock.

Basil likes to be watered regularly without having “wet feet”. Definitely avoid letting the soil dry out too much as your basil will wilt and start to struggle.

How long does basil take to grow?

Basil grows quickly. Each variety is different and to reach full maturity, will take anywhere from 60 – 90 days.

When to harvest basil

Harvest your basil regularly by picking off the leaves. If you are harvesting while the plant is still very young, be sure you leave the plant enough leaves to continue growing. Picking the tops off more spindly looking stems will encourage the plant to bush out more and become fuller. This can also help to prolong the life of the plant and avoid it going to seed too early. When you see flower buds starting to form, pick the top few leaves off the stem.

Basil pests and diseases and how to control them organically

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers love to eat basil leaves. They camouflage well but the telltale sign is the half munched leaves on your basil plant. There are a lot of methods around for repelling grasshoppers such as garlic and chilli spray, vinegar, coffee grounds, and neem oil. In addition to those options, you may also like to try companion planting with marigolds or coriander/cilantro. Alternatively, insect netting tends to keep them off too. Birds, spiders and toads all eat grasshoppers to so having those in your garden may help to reduce the population.

Japanese Beetles

A type of scarab beetle, the Japanese beetle tends to strip the foliage of the plant leaving the veins of the leaf. You can handpick the beetles off your plants and kill them and some say that leaving the dead beetles around near your plants can help to deter more from coming near. You

can set soapy water traps for the beetles too however, that may attract more of them to your plants. Neem oil will kill grown beetles too. As the Japanese beetles lay their eggs in soil, having beneficial nematodes in your soil that eat the larvae can stop them before they become a problem.

Slugs and Snails

Cool and damp loving snails and slugs love leafy greens of any kind. Their shiny trails tend to give them away along with holes in the leaves they have been eating. If you head out to your garden at night, you might catch these pests in the act and be able to pull them off your plants and dispose of them however you see fit. Alternatively, salt is the kryptonite of slugs and snails so sprinkling some around the edges of your garden bed may be enough of a deterrent to keep them at bay and diatomaceous earth may have the same effect. Some people also swear that copper is a deterrent too so putting some copper around the base of your plants may work too. Otherwise, there are organic slug and snail killer products that you may like to try instead.

Aphids

Aphids can be a gardener’s nightmare for a huge range of plants. These small insects can be found on the stems and undersides of leaves of your plant and can be a range of different colours depending on what they are eating. Left untreated, aphids can swell to proportions that risk your plant developing diseases and becoming unhealthy. The most natural way to avoid aphids is to attract beneficial insects such as ladybugs that eat the aphids. Other natural remedies include organic neem oil, diatomaceous earth sprinkled on top of the aphids to dehydrate and kill them, strong spray of water to dislodge the aphids, or a spray of soapy water which suffocates the aphids (be sure to hose off any soap later).

Mark’s top tips for growing basil

Give your basil a good feed of liquid seaweed solution such as the Plant Doctor’s Seaweed Secrets (use SSME10 for 10% off your order) to help it to continue producing healthy leaves.

Also, let your basil grow out at the end of its life – the basil flowers attract beneficial bugs and you can harvest the seed to resow again for next season’s crop. You may also want to check out Mark’s video “5 Top Tips How to Grow a TON of Basil in One Container or Garden Bed” for more tips.

Do you have any tips or questions about growing basil?

Mark and the Self Sufficient Me team love hearing about your growing success so why not join our forum to let us know how you went growing basil?

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