After the seedlings have their first six leaves, prune (or pinch) to above the second set. Use a mulch like straw around the basil plants to conserve soil moisture and reduce weeds. I get a plentiful harvest with one large (one foot by two feet by 8 inches deep) pot of basil.Ĭaring for basil throughout the summer is not difficult. Basil can also be grown in a container with a good fertile potting mix. Plant seeds about ¼-inch deep and thin to 10 to 12 inches apart. Do not rush basil. Without heat, this herb won't grow. Transplant or seed after the last frost date for your area and after the soil has warmed to at least 60☏. As with other edible plants, chose a site with clean soil, away from driveways and busy streets so that exhaust won't settle on the plants. You can start seeds indoors six weeks before the last spring frost in your area, or sow the seeds directly into a prepared garden bed outdoors. Choose a site with full sun, meaning at least six to eight hours per day. Additional cultivars of sweet basil include large lettuce leaf varieties like 'Napoletano' and 'Italian Large Leaf', as well as compact small leaf bush varieties such as 'Spicy Globe' and 'Green Globe'.īasil is a tender annual that will need to be replanted every season. I grow 'Genovese' basil (in Ligurian language, baxaicò or baxeicò) which is one of the most popular cultivars of sweet basil for culinary use, particularly for bruschetta and the traditional Genovese pesto sauce. Other types include purple basil (less sweet than common basil), lemon and lime basil (wonderful citrus flavors) and Thai basil (spicy licorice flavor). The most common type of basil is sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum). Basil is very easy to grow in Pennsylvania's warm summer months and will give even the novice gardener much satisfaction to grow and use. I use it to make homemade pesto sauce for pasta, and I love it in summer sandwiches in place of mayonnaise or mustard. Basil tastes great in Italian dishes and is a key ingredient in many other ethnic cuisines. Keep lights close to the plants - no more than a couple inches from the leaves.Basil is a favorite herb to grow every summer. Remaining plants will have room to develop properly, without having their roots disturbed.įor sturdy plants with strong root systems, start applying a water-soluble fertilizer, such as Plant Health Care, about once a week. Use a scissors to snip out any weak or crowded seedlings. Let seedlings grow until they have two sets of "true" leaves. Cover lightly with soil and water well.Īs soon as the first seedlings pop up, put the tray under bright fluorescent lights for 15 hours per day. Germination rates typically vary from 70 to 90 percent, so you should plant more seeds than you think you'll really need. If you're thinning a crop of lettuce seedlings, you can actually add the tiny thinnings to your next salad.When handling the seedlings, grasp them by their leaves or roots avoid holding the stems, which can be damaged easily. If you decide to transplant any of the seedlings, loosen them carefully from the soil, using a table knife. Thrifty, yes, but it's easy to damage the tiny plants. Some gardeners carefully separate the seedlings and replant the extras in other pots.Two to three seeds per pot is sufficient. You'll be left with only as many seedlings as you need. Here's and easier way: When the first true leaves appear, snip off the extra seedlings at the soil line. It's fussy work, and always hard to decide which ones to save and which to toss. Use garden snips or a scissors to thin out crowded seedlings.
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