How to grow... Basil
Rocket Growing Guides
It’s great having a pot of basil on the windowsill in the kitchen. It smells amazing and it’s very satisfying being able to pick off the leaves as and when you need them for whatever culinary creation you’re making.
Basil is an annual plant. This means that it is a plant that completes its entire lifecycle in one year.
- Basil Growing Guide
How to Plant Basil
- Best grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel, or on a sunny windowsill. If you prefer to grow it outside, choose a sunny, warm and sheltered spot. Basil likes the heat!
- Plant 20-25cm apart in fertile soil – either in the ground or in pots of compost or growbags
- You can plant basil in amongst tomatoes in the greenhouse. The two are said to grow well together. We have no evidence of this, but why not give it a try!?
How to Grow Basil
- Keep the soil a little moist, but don’t overwater. The best time to water them is at noon in bright sunshine (quite the opposite from most plants!)
- As plants grow you will see small pairs of leaves on the lower sections of the stems. To encourage bushy growth, pinch stems off to a pair of these baby leaves. Also pinch off like this if you see any flower buds appearing – this will keep the plant producing leaves for longer.
Common Pests and Problems with Basil
- Aphids – watch out for colonies of these tiny little bugs appearing. If growing in a greenhouse – put something yellow and sticky (like a yellow bucket covered in vaseline) nearby and it will stop them from coming back.
How to Harvest Basil
- Pinch off leaves as and when you want to use them.
- Regularly picking leaves will keep the plant producing more.
- Leaves have better flavour before the plant flowers.
