Basil can be grown indoor or outdoor.
Basil Growing Guide
When
Sow:
- early summer, direct in ground or in pots (If under cover, will have softer leaves.)
- can be propagated from cuttings
Harvest:
Soil & Position
- average, well drained, rich
- sunny, sheltered
Frost Tolerant
- no
Spacing
- single plant: 20cm
- rows: 15cm
Care/Watering
- watering seedlings: cannot handle deep watering. Use sprayer or mister.
- water when dry: use finger test
- watering adult, in ground: usually weekly but check dryness/over moisture (can produce rotting, mildew, fungus)
- cuttings: place in glass of water, on windowsill, with good sunlight. Change water every few days. Wait till roots are about 2 inches long (maybe 2-4 weeks) before transplanting.
Harvest
- harvest leaves to keep it bushy. Pinch off flowers and buds.
Companions
anise, apricot, asparagus, capsicum, carrots, chamomile, corn, cucumber, marigold, oregano, parsley, pepper, petunias, tomato
Enemies
rue
Pests
aphids, slug, snail (see: growveg.com.au/plants/australia-and-nz/how-to-grow-basil/)
Notes
Basil is great companion for many plants – it repels mosquitoes, flies, other garden pests.
Chamomile and anise helps enhance the flavour of basil. Pinch off flowers as they appear to keep plant productive. Harvest leaves a few at a time.
Our Basil Progress
Can’t remember where we got this from. Maybe local market? This, I think, is the common basil.
Tip: Why Basil Leaves Turn Yellow (planterspace.com)
Don’t know what variety of basil this (below) is. Strong fragrance. But we have not tended to it for years. Left on balcony. Still alive but probably could do with some care and pruning.
25 Sept 2019
Into Staggered Pots (set up yesterday)The 3 types of Basil planted:
20 Jan 2020 – Drats! They all died. In fact, they never grew. Think those pots (from France no less) were unglazed, hence too porous. And the soil just kept drying out.
References:
- Basil Growing Guide (growveg.com.au)
- How to Prune Basil (youtube.com)
- Tips for Cutting Back Basil (gardeningknowhow.com)
- The Ultimate Companion Planting Guide (waldenlabs.com)
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