- Grow your own basil
- Propagating basil
- Basil: watering and fertilizing
- Basil: care
- Purchased Potted Basil: Life Prolonging Measures
- Basil Varieties: Aromatic Diversity
- Harvesting and storing basil
- Basil: Uses and Ingredients
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Basil has become one of the most coveted potted herbs. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the herb and how to grow it in your own garden.
Everyone knows the basil (Ocimum basilicum) from Italian cuisine. There it seems to be inseparable from aromatic, juicy tomatoes. However, the popular lamiaceae (Lamiaceae) probably originated in India. It was specifically cultivated there 1000 years ago. However, the spice started its journey to conquer the world much earlier - basil was found during excavations in ancient Egyptian pyramids. Cold-sensitive basil settled in Germany in the Middle Ages. In the supermarket, the basil plants offered as potted herbs have become an integral part of the vegetable department. But somehow they always seem to say goodbye to the afterlife on the windowsill at record-breaking speed. We'll show you what you need to know to make your potted basil last longer. In addition, there is all the information about growing in your own garden - from sowing to harvest.
Synonyms: basil, basil herb, royal herb
Grow your own basil
Location
Like so many other spices, the basil prefers a location with loose and well-drained soil. In addition to cultivation in pots, cultivation outdoors is also conceivable - provided the temperatures are right. Basil does not like temperatures below 10 °C at all. The pH of the substrate is optimal when it is between 6.5 and 7. Basil is also a heavy feeder. It is therefore advisable to select a nutrient-rich substrate such as our Plantura organic universal soil. Although basil loves warmth, it should not be placed in full sun. Partial shade is perfect for the spice.
You want to plant basil in your garden now? Check out our basil growing guide for everything you need to know.
Propagating basil
Basil is most commonly propagated by sowing. From March, the seeds can be grown indoors in a bright window seat. Basil is one of the light germinators. Therefore the seed should not be covered with a too thick layer of substrate. At room temperature, the seeds will germinate within 7 to 14 days, depending on the variety. The early young plants can be placed outside from mid-May. However, caution is advised: Night-time temperatures below 10 °C can quickly cost the plants, which are used to indoor warmth, their lives.
Do not sow outdoors before mid-May because of the impending cold. Basil can also be propagated from cuttings. Young shoot tips with two to three pairs of leaves are placed in a special substrate for the propagation of cuttings and take root within a few days if the humidity is high. Basil shoots that are offered in bunches for consumption are usually no longer suitable for propagation by cuttings. Too much time has already passed after the cut and it is becoming increasingly difficult to root the soft shoots.
Tip: Sowing is very easy with the Plantura herb set, which contains basil as well as other herbs. The set comes with a mini greenhouse, substrate and everything else you need for growing.
Basil: watering and fertilizing
Basil is thirsty - it needs to be watered daily on warm days. Wilting due to lack of water should be avoided at all costs. That would mean unnecessary stress, which would increase the susceptibility to illness. To reduce the likelihood of infection with fungal pathogens, it is advisable not to water the foliage. If the basil is cultivated in a pot, it makes sense to supply the plant with water using a saucer.
If the spice is growing, it is fertilized about every two months with a primarily organic organic fertilizer such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer. Additional nutrients do not have to be given as often during the winter. You can find more information about fertilizing basil in our special article.
Basil: care
Basil does not need to be cut. However, attention should be paid to the way of harvesting. By only cutting the tips of the shootssnapping out promotes branching. This can also prevent flowering and the basil forms even more leaves for use in the kitchen.
Basil is (as already mentioned) extremely sensitive to cold. Some varieties are slightly more robust than others and are therefore better suited to outdoor cultivation. Nevertheless, overwintering outdoors is impossible. In any case, the plants must be kept in a warm house during the winter. If they are placed in a bright window seat, they will grow even further - despite the short days and relatively low light intensity. However, suitability as a perennial plant depends on the variety. Despite the perfect location, some varieties cannot be overwintered.
Unfortunately, some devastating diseases do not stop at basil. If the popular spice is afflicted by the lucerne mosaic virus, the only option is to destroy the plants. The infestation can be recognized by the unstoppable yellowing of the leaves. When the leaves come into direct contact with water, a fungal pathogen causes leaf spot disease. For this reason, the basil should always be in a sheltered place in the garden.
You can find more about optimal care in our article on basil care.
Purchased Potted Basil: Life Prolonging Measures
Who doesn't know it: the recently purchased potted basil loses its leaves before it can even be remotely harvested. Not to mention that the seedling will produce new shoots and provide more aromatic leaves. The potted herbs are not produced for long-term enjoyment. Basil plants can go from sowing to the supermarket within a very short time. Due to the intensive cultivation in the greenhouse, however, they are not really prepared for the stressful transport and the different growing conditions in their new home. In winter, the basil experiences uncomfortable and life-threatening temperatures during transport. This is a factor that cannot be influenced. However, the basil shoots in the pot are always much too dense. In order to make the climate more pleasant for the plants, the pot should immediately be divided into four equal parts and repotted with fresh substrate. Put the pots in a bright place. Especially after repotting, it must be watered well. The first fertilization should not be long in coming if you want to achieve fast and strong growth. thePlants are fertilized during production according to the motto "as much as necessary, as little as necessary" in order to save costs.
Procedure for pampering the potted basil:
- Cut the pot into four equal parts
- repot with fresh substrate suitable for basil
- Water plants well
- fertilize soon to ensure sufficient nutrient supply
- Pnip off the shoot tips and encourage branching
Basil Varieties: Aromatic Diversity
There are countless different basil varieties available as seeds on the market. Differences can lie in the aromas, leaf color and size, but also in the robustness of the plant. Black basil, for example, can be an eye-catcher in the garden.
You can find a larger selection in our article on the variety of basil.
- African Blue: robust variety; is well suited for outdoor cultivation; red-veined leaves.
- Albahaca: Organic variety with uneven red-green variegated foliage.
- Aristotle: classic foliage; scented with cloves.
- Chianti: aromatic, red-leaved variety.
- Cino: cinnamon basil.
- Corfu: Greek shrub basil; is characterized by compact and weak growth.
- Italian Star: particularly large leaves with an intense aroma.
- Mammut: vigorous variety with large leaves.
- Napolitan basil: green-leaved variety with a peppery aroma.
- Pesto Perpetuo: Variety with white variegated foliage.
- Piccolino: compact variety with small leaves.
- Wildis Purpur: robust variety with purple foliage for outdoors.
- Lemon basil: characteristic lemon aroma.
Harvesting and storing basil
From the basil, parts of whole shoots and not individual leaves should always be harvested. This promotes the branching of the shoots and replaces the pruning of the plant. However, the shoots must not remain without leaves. A few pairs of leaves must always remain in the lower part so that the plant can supply enough energy to manage new growth. Pinching can also delay flowering and extend harvest time. With good care, fresh basil can still be harvested in winter. However, just before flowering is the best time to be able to harvest particularly aromatic leaves.
You can read again and again that basil can be preserved quite well by drying. That's quite true - the usability of the spice is extended. However, the herb loses almost all of its flavoring aromas through drying, so eventually it no longer really tastes like anything. It is better to harvest fresh as needed and then use it straight away. The freshly harvested leaves can also be crushed and preserved in olive oil. Then they release their essential oils to the oil. The processing of the leaves into basil pesto is similar. After all, the taste of the herb can be preserved for a few months. However, the greatest taste experience is probably the freshly harvested consumption.
Learn more in our article How to harvest and store basil correctly.
Basil: Uses and Ingredients
Flavourful is the essential oil of the basil. It consists of various components, the contents of which vary depending on the variety. The use of basil is mainly known from Italian cuisine. Tomato and basil seem inseparable here. Whether antipasti, such as tomato-mozzarella, pizza with tomato sauce, tomato soup or buscetta - where there are tomatoes in Italian cuisine, basil is not far away. If the essential oil is obtained from basil by distillation, it can be used as a flavoring component for drinks. For example, basil oil is a common ingredient in herbal liqueurs. Incidentally, basil is even used as an herb for grilling.
The alkaline herb is also said to have a medicinal effect. It is said to be effective for loss of appetite and flatulence. In addition, its essential oil has an anti-inflammatory effect thanks to the component eugenol. However, basil is not used medicinally because the herb also contains methyl eugenol. This substance is carcinogenic. Although one would have to consume a considerable number of basil leaves in order to ingest a questionable amount of the substance, this negative side effect makes the use of basil medicinally unacceptable.