Thinning out basil seedlings11/27/2023 For continuous harvests, plant a batch of seeds every few weeks. Two months after planting, you may have enough basil leaves to make fresh pesto and impress your friends! If the leaves start looking pale green in color, start using liquid fertilizer, mixing at the rate recommended on the package. Snip the extra seedlings at the soil line and enjoy them in a salad.Ī month after planting, you can enjoy the aroma of basil by running your hands over the small leaves. If the plants start to look crowded as they grow, use scissors to thin them out. Water once a day to keep the soil moist, but not soaking wet. If you see white spots on the leaves, the lights are too close. If the plants look leggy, move the lights closer. Once seedlings are large enough to handle, start thinning out gradually until plants are eventually 20cm (8in) apart remove the weaker plants and add them to salads. Keep plants bushy and productive by harvesting the shoot tips regularly, and remove any flowers that start to develop. Place the lights a few inches above the seedlings, raising the lights as the plants grow. Get expert RHS advice on how to grow Basil. Keep your soil evenly moist until your seedlings get their first leaves and are growing strong. Dry soil stops the plants from getting the nutrients they need to grow well. If you are using grow lights, set a timer so that they are on for 14 hours a day. If you let your seed starting mix dry out too much when your seedlings are young, it can cause them to get leggy. Plant 1/4' deep and keep at 70☏ (21☌) for best germination. Transplant: Sow indoors 6 weeks prior to setting out. Note: Holy Basil requires some light for germination, so sow more shallowly than other basils. As the plants grow, rotate the pots to keep them from leaning in one direction, toward the light. Thinning is not necessary, but a final spacing of 4-8' apart produces healthy, full plants. Avoid drafty windows or places where temperatures drop considerably at night. Place in a warm window with a light exposure. Sow seeds in 1.5cm (1/2in) deep, lightly covering the seed with a sprinkling of compost on a warm light windowsill all year round. Start your seeds off in pots of moist peat-free multi-purpose compost on a warm but not sunny windowsill. To get a quality crop that lasts from early spring to mid-autumn, it’s best to grow basil in a container. This will preserve the fresh flavour of basil for up to four months.įor a large harvest, cut off as much as a half the plant at once.Fill your jar up with soil then lightly water and moisten fresh soil mix. Grow basil in well-drained, fertile soil in a warm, sheltered position out of direct midday sun. In the vegetable plot, sow seeds thinly 1cm deep in rows, 30cm apart. Sow seeds in multi-cell trays, directly into the soil outdoors where they are to grow, or into pots. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in zip-lock type bags and labeled for later use. Coriander has a long tap root, so its best to avoid damaging the roots. To do this, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil come to the forefront.īasil is best fresh, but can be preserved by drying or by freezing. Try to add just before serving so as to get the full aroma and effect. The oil stays in the leaf and does not properly flavour your food. Tear basil rather than chop with a knife because when you chop you will notice the basil going dark. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant.
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