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Gardening 101

Growing Basil: Here’s What You Need to Know

Bright color, quick growth and endless uses for cooking make this summer annual a
winner in the garden or a pot

Marianne Lipanovich
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most... More

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Basil, native to Asia, has become a seasoning staple in cuisines around the world. The familiar and
fragrant sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is grown as a summer annual that generally reaches about 2
feet tall.

Even if you’re already committed to growing sweet basil as your herb garden mainstay, it’s worth
taking a look at what basil varieties are out there. The smaller Greek basil (Ocimum minimum) and
other compact varieties top out at 1 to 1½ feet — great if you don’t want it to take up quite as much
space — or you can try a larger variety that may reach as high as 4 feet. There are basils with showy
purple or dark red foliage or with leaves that are distinctly ruffled. There are also a number of basils
with distinctive flavors, including Siam Queen, ideal for Asian cuisine, and those with flavors
reminiscent of anise, clove, licorice, lemon and lime.

Basil’s bright color and quick growth also ensure it can hold its own as an ornamental addition to the
landscape. Gardeners can use the smaller basil varieties as a low border edging and mix varieties for
a choice of flavors and a colorful garden patch.

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How to Grow Basil

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Water requirement: Regular water; do not let the soil dry out
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When to plant basil: Plant seeds or set out plants in spring and summer when the soil is warm, at
least one week after the last frost date. Continue

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Favorite basil varieties: Finissimo Verda a Palla, Genovese, Greek (Spicy Globe), Green Ruffles,
Mammoth Sweet, Napolitano, Pesto Perpetua (can be grown as a perennial where there is no frost),
Purple Ruffles, Purpureum (Dark Opal), Red Rubin, Siam Queen (Thai basil); flavored basils include
cinnamon, clove, lemon, licorice and lime

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How to grow basil outdoors: Plant basil outside in a sunny location with good drainage. Basil needs
heat to grow. If your summers are cool and daytime temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27
degrees Celsius) are rare, try planting basil against a south- or west-facing wall in your garden.

Sow seeds ½ inch deep and 2 to 3 inches apart; thin to 1 foot apart once seedlings appear. You can
also start basil seeds indoors four to six weeks before planning to transplant. Set basil seedlings or
nursery plants 10 to 12 inches apart.

How to grow basil in a pot. Most pots over 8 inches wide will work, but the larger the pot, the larger
the basil can grow. Make sure drainage is adequate. Grow several different basils in one pot or pair
the plant with other herbs or vegetables such as tomatoes.

For a successive harvest, add new plants or sow seeds about a month to six weeks after your first
planting date.

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How to take care of basil. Keep the soil most but not soggy. Plan to give your basil fertilizer at least
once during the growing season; every few weeks is good if your growing season is long. Pinch back
the plants and pinch off the flower stocks to encourage bushiness and leaf production.

Taking care of basil plants outdoors is relatively easy. They occasionally get bothered by slugs, snails
and beetles or succumb to gray mold or black spot. Fusarium wilt may be a problem. If so, remove
and destroy the basil plant and rotate the planting location on a three- to four-year cycle to prevent
future problems. There are also basil varieties that are resistant to wilt.

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Harvest: You can start to harvest basil once the leaves reach a reasonable size. For continued
production, don’t remove more than a third of the basil leaves. Cut just above a node to encourage
branching and leaf production.

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How to use basil in cooking: Your choices are pretty much endless. Use fresh basil in salads, soups,
sandwiches, stews, appetizers and marinades. Turn the leaves into a classic basil pesto, add them to
entrées and side dishes, or use them to flavor vinegars or lemonade or as a base for tea. You can
also save dried or frozen basil to be enjoyed later.

Tell us: Do you grow basil in your summer herb garden? Share your best tips in the Comments!

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Comments (71)

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kiffkat
April 10, 2015 at 12:45PM
We grow basil in pots, on our patio, every summer in New Jersey. We water twice a day, about
10-15 minutes, on a timed sprinkler system. If you water every day - the results are amazing!! Big
tall bushes of sweet basil and lime basil. YUM! We are so addicted to this spice, we use it in
everything: scrambled eggs, tofu, pizza, sauces, even added to water.

I also freeze whatever I can before the fall season - just chop up the basil leaves and mix with a
bit of olive oil. (Do not add water or it will lose it's color and flavor) Freeze in ice cube trays. Then
pop out the cubes and place the cubes in a zip lock freezer bag. Defrost when ready to use. It
will look and taste like it's fresh from the garden.

For those who have never grown basil - it's best in a separate container as it grows quickly and
can easily take over an entire pot. If you have a large enough container, you'll be fine planting 1
or 2 other spices, but Basil will still dominate the space.

Spring is finally here! Thanks for reminding me that it's time to start planting Basil again!

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tandis
April 18, 2015 at 8:17PM
Anyone know the best way to combat looper caterpillars and aphids on your basil? I can't seem
to grow the stuff without it being infested by one or the other or both! My poor basil!
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dreamdoctor
April 19, 2015 at 7:30AM
PRO
Call your extension agent. We have black spotted Asian beetle here (look like lady bugs) that
were introduced to control aphids in the fields. I stopped growing brascicas because of the
loopers - never had a problem with them on basil. Local full service nursery should have some
ideas and products too.

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Ideabook updated on June 7, 2018.

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