Here in North Florida, I have always had the easiest time with basil. I love growing basil so much. There are endless amounts of things you can do to “put up” basil and really get your money’s worth of your time investment spent growing.
Here are few things you need to know about basil:
- They need full sun.
- And well-drained soil (so thick clays, not gonna work here)
- They need room to grow, so plant them at least 12 inches apart, if not 18 inches.
- And this one is the most important…pinch off the little stalk of flowers as soon as they grow. This keeps them from growing tall and lanky and keeps your plant nice and bushy
Watch this Nourish & Love webshow episode to learn more about how to grow basil.
I planted mine about 12 inches apart this year. I went a little bannas with my vegetables and was short on room, but they should do fine.
I always top off my basil with a nice layer of mushroom compost. I will add another layer when they get bigger.
Begin using the leaves as soon as the plant is large enough to spare some. Collect from the tops of the branches, cutting off several inches. Handle basil delicately so as not to bruise and blacken the leaves.
They really don’t need too much attention, other than to pinch off the flower stalks, but pests can sometimes be a problem.
Aphids are the most common problem for basil. You can tell if aphids are present when the plant looks wilted no matter how much water you give it. Also, there will be white specks around the base of the plant and under the leaves.
Buy a spray bottle and make a homemade spray of vegetable oil, dish soap and water and that will take care of the aphids.
Have you planted basil yet? Do you have any great basil growing tips?
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I can’t wait to start my garden! Thanks for the tips. We had a lovely weekend of 80 degree whether here in Colorado, but yesterday… It snowed ALL DAY!! It can be pretty tricky to know when the right time to get started is. :-/ None-the-less, this will be my first year planting our own vegetables and herbs. We’ve never had the space in the past. Should be fun!
80 degrees to snowing?! That is crazy. Gotta love global warming! Good luck with your garden!
Thanks for the tips! I’ve already planted (and killed) 1 basil plant this year. Hopefully this weekend I can start again.
LOL! I hope this round goes better for you.
I’m confused about what and when to pick my basil. Last year I started plants from seed and they grew tall, with hardly any leaves. This year a caved and bought a transplant. It seems to be growing well, but I’m not sure when I should take some leaves.
Thanks!
If it is about 6 to 8 inches tall you can start pinching off the tops and using leaves. Good luck!
I have great luck with my basil in the Topsy Turvy planter last year. The tomato did ok but the basil grew like crazy! I’m planning on doing it again this year and may try a different breed of tomato. (Earlygirl Last year)