Care for a Sweet Basil Plant

Temperature

• Sweet basil requires warm weather to grow. Plant basil outdoors in late spring when all danger of frost has passed. Basil that is planted too early in the season and is subjected to frost will fail to thrive.

Planting Location

• Grow basil in a full-sun location in rich, well-drained soil. Basil does exceptionally well in raised beds because they tend to have good drainage, and the soil in raised beds warms quickly in spring. Provide basil with a light, porous soil, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

Seeding

• When the weather is warm, sprinkle basil seed in the planting bed and cover with 1/4-inch of soil. Keep the area moist, and seedlings should emerge in five to seven days. Once seedlings have developed two to three pairs of true leaves, thin the plants to 10 inches apart.

  Get a head start on the growing season by planting basil seed indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date. Sow seeds in a flat and cover with 1/8-inch of soil. Maintain the soil temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the seedlings should germinate in five to seven days. Keep the soil evenly moist, and provide the plants with bright light from a window or fluorescent grow lights. Transplant basil plants to 2-inch pots when they have at least two sets of leaves and are approximately 2 inches high.

Watering

• Basil requires constant moisture to grow well. If there is no rainfall, give in-ground plants a deep soak on a weekly basis. Water container-grown basil plants when the soil surface dries, which may be daily during warm weather.

  Apply a 2-inch layer of mulch around the base of basil plants; it will keep the soil evenly moist and discourage water-stealing weeds.

Fertilizing

• Feed in-ground basil once at the beginning of the growing season with an all-purpose, 5-10-5 fertilizer. Too much food leads to poor fragrance and flavor. Container-grown basil plants require more frequent feeding. Fertilize potted basil monthly with a half-strength solution of an all-purpose, liquid fertilizer.

Harvesting

• Maintain fresh, bushy growth on basil plants by harvesting leaves on a regular basis. The ideal time to harvest is in the morning after the dew has dried. Snip off leaves or cut stems just above a leaf. The plant will resume growth from the cut point within a week's time.