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A seed starting mix, or potting soil mixed with two parts soil and one part perlite can be used for indoor planting according to the St. Louis Herb Society. Plant your seeds 1/4 inch deep in two to three inch pots with two or three seeds per pot. Keep the soil damp but not wet because basil plants require well-drained soil. For a continuous supply of fresh basil, start your plants a few weeks apart.
Basil is a warm weather plant so keep your plants in a warm, sunny location that provides a minimum of four to six hours of sun per day. When your basil plants reach a height of about two inches tall, they are ready for planting outside as long as there is no danger of frost. -
Growing Taste states that poor soil contains the essential oils that give basil its flavor. The St. Louis Herb Society confirms this by informing us that when planting herbs, fertile soil produces foliage with less flavor.
Well-drained poor soil provides the best environment for planting basil. When planting outdoors, to get the well-drained soil needed for your basil plants, the St. Louis Herb Society recommends digging out about 12 to 18 inches of soil from the area where you will be planting your basil and placing a mixture of 1/3 sand, 1/3 organic matter (peat moss or compost), and filling the final 1/3 with part of the soil you dug out.
Basil is best started outdoors in the spring when the temperature is consistently 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant your seeds in full sun about a half-inch deep, two or three seeds per hole. Your basil plants will germinate in 5 to 14 days.
If you started your plants indoors, wait until a cloudy day, or until late in the afternoon before planting them outdoors and water immediately after planting. Water requirements for your plants are one inch to one and a half inches per week. - Florida Gardener recommends thinning your plants when your seedlings are about two to three inches tall. Keep the smaller variety of basil plants about 10 inches apart, and the larger varieties up to 30 inches apart. By pinching off the tips of your basil plants when they reach about 8 inches tall, you will have bushier plants. You can also encourage leaf production by pinching off flowers before they mature. When flowers mature, the branch on which they appear stops producing new leaves. If possible, it is best to pinch off the tips of the branches before flowers form. However, by allowing some of your branches to go to seed after flowering, you will have your own seeds to plant next year.
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To have basil all year long, the National Garden Bureau recommends planting indoors where your basil will get several hours of sun daily, or place your basil plants under fluorescent plant lights. By allowing some of your branches to go to seed, you can sow new plants every two weeks and have fresh basil all winter.
Florida Gardener states Aphids and Japanese beetles may be attracted to your basil plants. They recommend washing aphids off with a garden hose. Japanese beetles should be picked off and placed in a jar of soapy water before discarding.
When buying basil seeds, look for packets that state the seeds are Fusarium free.
Fusarium is a fungus that develops in the soil. Florida Gardener recommends taking care not to overwater your plants and plant them in a different location each year to avoid soil problems.
