I have yet to meet someone that doesn’t love fresh basil on their pizza or pasta. This herb in my opinion is definitely a must have! One well pruned basil plant can give you ½ cup of basil a week!
When growing basil remember these points to have healthy happy plants:
It needs full sun,
Soil should be moist and well drained,
It doesn’t like to have soggy roots so make sure the soil is dry to touch before watering,
Make sure you’re watering the stems not leaves,
Basil is very sensitive to the cold,
If you’re starting them from seed, plant ¼ inch deep,
Basil is very quick to germinate,
Once basil has grown their first 6 leaves, you need to pinch back the second set – after each new branch has 6-8 leaves pinch again down to the first set to make sure you have a full plant,
Basil is ready to harvest when the plant is 6-8 inches tall,
To harvest pick off the leaves as you need them but make sure to pick regularly to encourage the basil to grow,
Only harvest a maximum of 2/3 of your basil plant at a time so it can keep producing, and
Pinch off the flowering portions so the basil can focus on producing leaves!
We know basil is a must have in the kitchen, but it is also a great source of vitamins A, K and C as well as calcium and magnesium! What else do I need to tell you?
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