How To Best Grow Basil Plants
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is often referred to as the king of
herbs. Basil plants are certainly one of the most popular herbs grown in the
home garden. Growing basil outdoors or in a container is very easy to do if you
follow these simple steps for how to grow basil.
Tips for Growing Basil
Choose a location with great drainage. Whether you are
growing basil outdoors in the ground or in a container, the drainage needs to
be excellent.
Choose a location with good sun. Another important thing for
basil plant care is to choose a spot where the basil plants will get plenty of
good sunlight.
Choose growing basil seeds or plants. Will you start by
growing basil seeds or basil plants? Either option is very easy to do when
growing basil outdoors.
If you choose growing basil seeds, scatter the seeds over
the location that you have chosen and lightly cover with dirt. Water
thoroughly. Thin to 6 inches apart once the seedling come up.
If you choose growing basil plants, dig a small hole, tease
out the root ball some and plant the basil plant in the ground. Water
thoroughly.
Harvest often. The trick to how to grow basil that is large
and abundant is to harvest often. The more you harvest basil, the more the
plant will grow. When harvesting, pinch off the stem right above where a pair
of leaves are growing. After you harvest, two more stems will start to grow,
which means twice the leaves next time you harvest!
Remove flowers. Once a basil plant flowers, the leaves start
to lose their good flavor. If you remove any flowers, the leaves will get their
good flavor back in just a day or so.
As you can see, proper basil plant care is easy. Knowing how
to grow basil will provide you with large amounts of this tasty herb.
Article contributed by: By Heather Rhoades for Tagum Expat Gardening Club
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