Basil

Growing a Basil plant from seed can prove challenging, so we thought we would share our growing tips with you. They require a lot of attention at the beginning to ensure you get a thriving, bushy Basil plant! 

The pruning process at the start is so worth the continuous, delicious, Basil you end up with. It can be added to so many recipes!

When To Sow: Sow outdoors February to June and indoors all year round!

When To Harvest: 50-75 days after planting your seeds. 

Instructions: 

• Fill your seed tray with compost. Make a small dip in the centre of each cell and drop two seeds into each. Gently pat down the compost.

• Lightly cover with compost and water gently with lukewarm water. Remember to put something under your seed tray to catch any excess water. 

• Loosely cover the tray with cling film or a clear sandwich bag, anything you can find to act as a greenhouse in the germination process. Cover enough to keep in the moisture, but allow some circulation.

• Basil seeds don’t need light to germinate so keep away from window sills. Seeds will take 10-14 days to germinate.

• As soon as seedlings appear, remove the covering and move to a light window sill. 

• They are ready to be transplanted to their final position when they have four true leaves.

• Transplant to larger containers, Basil does particularly well in containers, or into the garden if there is no danger of frost. Plant 15cm apart both ways, and water well. 

• To create a full basil plant it will need to be pruned early on. When three sets of true leaves have appeared, there will be one on top, and two sets on either side of the main stem. Once the two smaller sets start growing, you can cut off the main stem just above the set of leaves.

• Your plant should produce two more stems where the leaves are. When the new shoots are 4 inches long. Repeat this process on the new stems.

• When harvesting, cut the basil stem and not just the leaf, as this encourages quicker and healthier growth. You can start harvesting your basil when there are 6 or more leaves.

Top tip: Keep your basil plants on the dry side, and keep them sheltered from draughts. The key to a healthy basil plant is regular harvesting!

We hope this blog post has been helpful and has inspired you to grow your own Basil. You can purchase some delicious Organic Sweet Genovese Basil seeds now for just £2.99 at seednsow.co.uk.