If you want to plant basil, you should choose the right location. Here you can find out how to properly sow and plant basil.
The popular, spicy herb basil (Ocimum basilicum) probably originated in India or Afghanistan. However, it is famous for its frequent use in Italian cuisine, where it has been known since the 12th century. Many different varieties of basil differ in the individual composition of essential oils. The palette of flavors ranges from lemon to cloves to aniseed. Basil is now available as a potted herb in every supermarket. However, basil can also be easily grown in your own garden and will delight the hobby gardener for several years. We'll show you how to bring the aromatic spice into your garden or on your windowsill, because growing basil yourself is actually child's play.
Sow basil
Growing basil yourself is not that difficult, you just need a little patience and a warm, bright location. Since basil has a slow juvenile development, it is rarely sown outdoors in our latitudes. We therefore only give tips for sowing basil indoors.
If you want to plant basil seeds, you can do so indoors all year round, as long as it is warm and bright enough. The seed container is first filled with already moistened, nutrient-poor soil, such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil. Like many herbs, basil belongs to the group of light germinators. This means that the seeds germinate best when they get light, i.e. not buried in the ground. Therefore, you should plant basil seeds in such a way that they are only sprinkled superficially on the soil and lightly pressed so that there is contact with the soil. The seeds are sown at a distance of 5 cm. Now moisten well, the easiest way is with a spray bottle.
Germination takes about two weeks at 18 - 22 °C. After germination it is for basilconducive to placing it somewhere slightly cooler as it prefers to grow at around 16°C to begin with. After about four weeks, the basil can be pricked out - the individual plants can be carefully lifted out of the ground with a pricking stick or a wooden stick and separated. After pricking out the basil, plant it 25 to 30 cm apart in nutrient-rich soil so that the plants can develop well.
- Sow seeds 5 cm apart
- Light germinator
- Optimum germination temperature: 18 - 22 ° C
- After germination place at around 16°C
- Prick out after a further four weeks and plant 25 - 30 cm apart
Tip: Basil thrives particularly well on the windowsill in a mini greenhouse, like the one included in our Plantura herb set. This set also includes the seeds of three other great types of herbs, as well as seed pots, substrate and plant labels.
The right location for basil
Basil prefers a warm, half-shady spot on nutrient-rich, loose and drained soil. The optimal pH value for the Mediterranean herb is between 6.5 and 7. The greenhouse is an ideal location, the basil can grow very large here and provide many leaves for pesto.
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are also ideal neighbors for basil. The spicy herb keeps pests like whitefly away from the vegetable crops while benefiting from the shade provided by the tall nightshades.
At temperatures below 8 °C, it usually gets life-threateningly cold for the basil, but some varieties can even endure temperatures as low as -10 °C. However, to be on the safe side, it should always spend the winter in the house or conservatory. A culture in a pot makes wintering out and wintering in much easier. Because overwintering basil is not that easy, but it is worthwhile, you will find all the information you need in our special article.
Planting basil
You can grow and plant basil yourself, propagate it vegetatively with cuttings or grow it outdoors or in a pot as a ready-made plant. Supermarket goods can also blossom into vigorous and high-yielding small shrubs half a meter high in the right location. Finished herb pots always contain several plants, so when planting them out you can divide them and give them more space.
Basil imPlant house
In the house it is always possible to grow basil yourself or to continue cultivating purchased plants. Pot culture on the warm window sill is ideal here. The pot should have a volume of about 3 to 5 liters, because only with sufficient substrate can you ensure a long-lasting plant without symptoms of deficiency. There is often confusion about which soil is suitable for basil. Basil has a medium-high nutrient requirement. Instead of filling the planter with a typical, rather lean herbal soil, you should fill it with a more nutrient-rich vegetable soil, such as our Plantura tomato & vegetable soil in organic quality.
Tip: Basil needs a lot of warmth and can even complain about outdoors in cool summers. Sowing seeds on the windowsill in winter hardly leads to high-yielding plants and the pots from the supermarket only thrive moderately even in the winter garden. It is all the more important to harvest the herb on time and to stock up for the winter by storing the basil correctly!
Planting basil outside
Basil may only be planted outdoors at the end of May, after the Ice Saints, otherwise the danger of freezing is still too high. The location should be particularly warm and bright, but not in full sun. A partially shaded corner on the balcony, in a raised bed or under tomatoes in the greenhouse is a good home for the basil. Pots from the supermarket are planted 25 centimeters apart, with individual, strong plants the distance is about 10 - 15 centimeters.
Tip: Compared to other herbs, basil likes more nutrient-rich soil. However, too much fertilization can damage it: fungal diseases and increased pest infestation can be the result. Therefore, do not use additional fertilizer if you have planted in a nutrient-rich soil. Anyone who cultivates basil in good garden soil should use a slow-acting organic fertilizer such as Plantura organic tomato fertilizer.
After planting basil, the cultivation measures are not yet done. In our special article you will learn everything about the care of basil, the right watering, fertilizing and cutting.