A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Herbs Question About Basil

How do I grow basil? Can I buy the basil plants that are for sale at stores?

You can start from seed or buy plants, lots of stores sell herbs, especially basil. I've seen them for sale at grocery stores, home depot, walmart and garden centers.

Just remember they aren't that fond of being transplanted. So when I start them from seed I put them in the pot the size that will support them when they are full grown.

I especially love the cinnamon basil on pork chops.

Remember as they mature to pinch the blooms off. Basils are annuals and after they set seed they die. but if you keep them from doing that you can keep them for several years.

Good Luck with your basil.

I usually buy one basil plant early in the season and plant it in my garden. Ususally they get really big until the end of summer.

Basil is super easy to grow from seed and there are so many different kinds to try which aren't normally available in your typical outlets. Two key points to remember...bottom heat if you are in a cooler climate, basil germinates best at 75 or 80 degrees...and light, so don't cover your seeds at all, just keep the medium lightly moist. When moistened properly, your basil seeds will change color, from black to a dark blackish blue and seem to be encased in a light gelatonous substance which is normal. Cool but normal.

I read basil repels flys and mosiquitos?
...thinking of taking a cutting from my garden and try one in a pot on the porch.

I just got 2 flats of basil plants yesterday at our Botanical Garden's plant sale. It's easy to grow from seed, but I do like helping support the garden. We're lucky to have an active Herb Society whose members bring lots of varieties to the sale. Besides Genovese, I got cinnamon, lemon, lime, Thai and Lettuce Leaf. Most of these will be companion planted with tomatoes during the next week.

HOw does the companion plant work? I am not too sure what that means.

Organic Gardening did say basil helps repel insects. Crushing the leaves or applying the oil, it said, would work.
Also it said not to pick the flowers off to prevent flowering but to cut further down, several leaves down, once it starts to get little flowers. If you just pinch off the flowers, it said, you just signal it to grow more flowers, but if you cut further down it signals it to go back to growing leaves. The cuttings can be used of course!

Basil is also really easy to take clones from. Most of the time you can just buy a bunch from the grocery, use what you like for your pasta, pesto, pizza, sandwiches, etc. and take a few of the leaves and put them in water. Roots will form and you will have a whole basil plant after 6-8 weeks.