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| Basil cutting ready for transplant |
Where / When to Grow Basil is a tender annual anywhere that it gets cold enough to wear a jacket. Even a slight overnight chill will turn a bunch of beautiful green basil brown and crumbly. See here if you want to squeeze the most harvest time out of your garden. Otherwise just wait until it's hot out. Any garden plot will work for Basil, but to get the most you'll need a spot that most other herbs prefer; well-drained soil and a lot of light. Basil also works well as a tomato companion. Fertilizer is not generally needed, and may be detrimental as it will promote a lot of leaves, but not flavor.
Harvest Pick constantly, and not just individual leaves but most of the stem. Especially if you see any flowering, leaf production will slow down considerably on a stem that is flowering. Harvesting promotes new growth so don't be shy about hacking away.
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| New Basil plant on the cheap |
Propagating via cuttings If you're both lazy AND cheap like me you'll be buying plants and making more with cuttings. Buy 2 or 3 of the healthiest plants you can find and plant just about anywhere. Once established (give it a few weeks at least) cut several 4" sections of new growth and immediately put individual stems in their own glass of water, removing any leaves below the water line. Put the glasses on a window sill or other sunny but protected place, change the water out or add to it as needed. In a week or so roots will start poking out of the cut end.
Let them grow a bit and pot your new Basil plant. Set these outside where they get at least 4 hours of sun (but not TOO much). Keep the soil moist and transplant out once they look strong and healthy. You can easily get a metric ton of Basil this way... now you just need something to do with it all.
Eat Now the best part. From classic Italian dishes as raw (pesto, bruschetta, caprese) and cooked (tomato sauces) to Asian stir fry (though Thai basil may be more appropriate!) the uses for Basil in the summer kitchen is astounding. We'll be sharing some of our favorites along with tips on preserving for the freshest possible basil during winter.
Eat Now the best part. From classic Italian dishes as raw (pesto, bruschetta, caprese) and cooked (tomato sauces) to Asian stir fry (though Thai basil may be more appropriate!) the uses for Basil in the summer kitchen is astounding. We'll be sharing some of our favorites along with tips on preserving for the freshest possible basil during winter.
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