Herb / Warm season
Basil
Pinch it hard and it keeps handing you leaves
Plant out byJun 1zone 6
- Family
- Mint (Lamiaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Days to harvest
- 50-75 days
- Spacing
- 12 in apart, rows 24 in
- Pot size
- 1 gal pot (great in pots)
- Frost
- Tender
- Start
- Either
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, start seeds indoors Feb 23 to Mar 23; plant out May 4 to Jun 1. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Basil sulks in cold weather and dies at the first frost. Wait until nights stay above 50 degrees F and days reach the 70s before setting it out. In many areas that lands a couple of weeks past the last frost date. Planting it the same weekend as the peas is a common way to lose it. If a cold night sneaks in, an upturned bucket over each plant gets it through.
The other early warning is yellowing lower leaves. It looks like the plant is hungry, but flip a leaf over. Purplish-gray fuzz underneath means basil downy mildew, a disease that spreads fast in mild, humid summers. Pull infected plants, water the soil instead of the leaves, and look for resistant varieties such as 'Prospera' or 'Rutgers Obsession'. Planting in a new spot each year helps too.
Once it is growing, basil wants harvesting. Pinch stems back to just above a pair of leaves, and snap off flower buds as they appear, unless you want to leave a few for bees. A plant left to bloom freely puts less into leaves. It is one of the easiest herbs for a sunny balcony, since a container 6 to 10 inches across holds one plant. In the bed, tomatoes make a classic neighbor, and the same summer heat suits both. Two or three plants usually cover a family's pesto habit, with some left over for the neighbors.
Things to consider
- Fresh leaves bruise and darken in the fridge. Pick right before you cook, or dry small bundles in a warm, airy room. A jar of stems in water on the counter keeps them a day or two.
- Pots dry out quickly, and basil wilts hard on hot afternoons. In very hot climates, a little afternoon shade keeps it from flagging. Water at the base in the morning so the leaves stay dry.
- Before the first fall frost, you can dig up a plant, pot it, and move it to a sunny window to stretch the season a while. Do not let the pot sit in a saucer of water. Indoor plants grow slowly, so treat it as a bonus, not a second crop.
Good neighbours
Pests to watch for
AphidsSlugsJapanese beetles
Questions about growing basil
How long until I can pick basil from seed?
Figure roughly 50 to 75 days, depending on the variety and how warm it is. Store-bought seedlings get you there much sooner, often within a few weeks of planting. Take only a few stems at a time from a young plant so it has leaves left to keep growing.
How do I start basil seeds indoors?
Sow about 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, a quarter inch deep, somewhere close to 70 degrees F. Seedlings usually show up in 5 to 10 days. Move them to small pots once they have two sets of true leaves, and keep a bright light close above them.
Which basil suits a small container?
Dwarf types such as 'Spicy Globe' stay compact and round, which fits a windowsill or a small balcony pot. Tall Genovese types can reach 3 to 4 feet in a bed and want more root room, along with about 2 feet between plants. Purple and Thai types also do well in pots if they get full sun.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.