growing basil

[serenity]

How do I grow this herb? I asume the plant I have seen sold as basil (supermarket herb) is actually a collection of seedlings so wondered what a single plant grows on like. Also if the above is true could I not separate out the seedlings and grow these on?

[Splinter]

Hi Serenity,

I am not the most technical of gardeners but I have had two successful years of growing basil.

I just put a load of seeds in a propogater on the window sill and they germinate really quickly.

After a couple of weeks I transfer the seedlings into a big pot on the window sill and they seem to do really well.

My window does not get direct sun until the evening, but have managed to grow huge plants, that I could use as often as I needed.

This year the seedlings in the house are growing well, but the ones I put in the greenhouse look a bit dodgy. Not sure if its too hot in the day, or the light frosts at night. Any advice welcome?

Good luck and just give it a go

Splinter

[Waffler]

I sowed mine in a propogator in my unheated greenhouse last Thursday, and they've been germinating like mad this week. I shall pot them on once they get to a decent size - although I have read on here recently that basil don't like having their roots disturbed, so tread carefully if you transfer them.
I think if you pinch out the growing tips, like you would sweetpeas, they bulk up a bit, giving you a more substantial plant, rather than a single stalk.

Splinter - mine grew ok in the greenhouse last year, planted in the border, but I suspect I planted them a bit later. I wouldn't have thought it was too hot for them - they love the heat - but if you're not already, it might be worth damping down the greenhouse on warm days, to increase humidity.

[Nicos]

I've never grown basil from seed, but buy plants from the supermarket.
One tip from the Vine last year was to split it into about 5 pots,which we did, and had a continuous supply for most of the summer.
Thankyou whoever suggested that- it's something we'll do each year now!!

[Alexx]

Having read what was said here about basil I'm gonna try to saw it in paper pots on my window sill, maybe 2 seeds in each, then when it's warm enough plant them outside together with pots. I tried growing this herb before and can confirm that it doesn't tolerate any kind of transplanting well.

I've never tried this technique before though.
What do you recon?

[tattiefritter]

Any basil I've planted outside has just died, either eaten by something or just withered away as I don't think they like the cold nights. I planted it out last year in June against a sunny south facing wall which gets really warm but it still didn't like it, I've also tried it in pots etc to no avail. I'm in Preston so maybe a bit far north to put it outside. I seem to have a lot of success with it inside so I don't mind too much.

I currently have two basil plants which came from a single supermarket plant and they are doing very well on my kitchen windowsill, just been potted up to 20cm pots so I'm hoping they'll turn into monsters and I can make pesto without completely stripping the plants. I'm growing lime and siam queen basil as well from seed and will be very careful when potting up if it doesn't like being transplanted, however whenever I mollycoddle stuff it seems to keel over and die!

[Nature Girl]

Hi Serenity,

I grow basil for cooking by:

Filling a 5 inch pot with potting compost, soaking in water from a tray below & sewing around 20 seeds under a sprinkling of fine compost. I then pop a sandwich bag over the top to make a greenhouse & keep on a sunny windowsill.

I take the bag off when the seedlings appear & plant a new pot every month. This usually keeps me going.

I find that picking the leaves as I cook does help the plant to produce a few extra leaves over time. I will try the 'pinching the tops off' method as described above to see if this is more productive.

I buy the seeds from Netto & they are only 19p & this makes quite a few pots of Basil. The spent compost is adderd to the compost bin so I don't mind the expence of the seed compost.

I think you save a fortune by growing your own & the taste is better.

Nature Girl

[SueA]

I've always bought pots of herbs from the supermarket & split them up & repotted them, that way you can keep them going all summer for the cost of just one pot, even more satisfying when you buy them in the 'reduced for quick sale' section! I have grown basil from seed but find it a bit hit & miss as far as germinating, sometimes it's taken ages. I've just sown some 'Mrs Burns Lemon' basil seeds in a pot today & think I might try them in a propagator to see if that speeds them up, might put some more just on the windowsill & see which comes up first.I usually just sprinkle a fine pinch of seeds & don't separate them at all when they come up.

[blue-and-green]

Basil wants full sun. Germinate within 7days 50F to 70F, if you separate seedlings and the temperature is not right, they will die. Planted outdoors May onwards will germinate 8-14days. They also want feeding. all this quoted out a book.
My experience is that i bought one at sainsburys and planted out from there last year. This year they germinated on a sunny windowsill and then died when put outside, cause i had them planted together with my chilli plants that needed pollinating - chillis survived fine, proves basil wants a certain high temperature.
I shall keep trying.
Good luck with yours!

[pigletwillie]

I sow several seeds per module (20 modules to a tray) and bung them in the greenhouse to germinate. Every 4 weeks another tray is sown for succession.

After the danger of frosts have past the 20 modules, by now quite nice clumps of seedlings, get planted in a block 6" between both plants and rows. The basil is harvested as required and when the next batch is planted out and established what is left is harvested and turned into pesto for the freezer for winter use.

Its quality stired through pasta or veggies especially leftovers.

[serenity]

so it's probably best to grow in clumps of seedlings rather than individual plants?

[janekt]

I'm very new to all this and basil was the very first thing I've ever grown from seed (so exciting). I germinated them in an unheated propagator on the kitchen windowsill and being completely niaive I sowed the whole packet into just 18 pots (so lots in each) They obviously grew more than I thought! I repotted some of them into a big planter 4 weeks later spacing them out a lot. I put these in a plastic greenhouse and they have come on really well, no problems after transplanting. I now still have about 12 pots on the windowsill and think some of them might end up going to waste

If I was to do it again I would perhaps sow them in groups of 2 or 3 as they are now. They were very awkward to transplant because they were so small but I felt I had to do something as they were so overcrowded. When do people normally transplant them? Perhaps I did it too soon but they're looking great now.

[Alison]

If you've got loads then you could think about making some pesto - mmmmmmmm lovely..................

[janekt]

Mmmmm...Funnily enough that's exactly what I had in mind when I sowed them. Maybe that's why I did the whole packet!

Unfortunately the ones I haven't transplanted aren't growing anywhere near as much as the others. I think there's just too many in each pot.

Jane