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Fresh basil

Basil is an herb that grows well indoors and outdoors. It is easy to grow and maintain, and its leaves are often used for flavoring dishes. Fresh basil is one of the most popular herbs used in cooking. It has many uses from pesto to pasta sauce.

Here’s how to grow fresh basil at home.

You can grow basil in pots or in the ground. If growing in pots, use a potting soil mix with plenty of organic matter. Plant seeds directly into the soil or plant seedlings in individual containers. Keep plants watered regularly until they start producing flowers. Once the plants begin flowering, pinch off the flower buds so that only two leaves remain. This will encourage more blooms.

Choose a sunny spot with good air circulation.

Place the container in full sun or partial shade. Water daily during dry spells. Remove any dead leaves and keep the soil moist at all times.

Plant seeds or seedlings in early spring.

To plant seeds, prepare a planting bed by mixing equal parts of peat moss and sand. Add water until the mixture is damp but not soggy. Sow the seeds directly into the prepared bed. Cover with 1/2 inch of fine gravel or potting mix. Keep the area well watered until germination occurs. After germination, remove the cover and continue watering as needed.

Water regularly until plants start growing.

Once the seedlings emerge, keep them evenly moist. If necessary, use a soaker hose to provide additional moisture. Remove any weeds that appear. As the plants grow, thin out the seedlings to leave only two or three per square foot.

Harvest leaves when they reach about 6 inches tall.

To harvest the leaves, cut off the stems with scissors. Then gently pull up the leaves by hand. You can also use a kitchen knife to remove the leaves.

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