Basil is an incredibly versatile aromatic herb, perfect in sauces, marinades, dressings, desserts and as a garnish.
Growing it at home is very simple and can be done by even novice gardeners. It's the perfect gardening task to crack on with in May as the weather starts to warm up.
Basil will grow outside but flourishes best in heat and sunshine. Ideally, it should be kept indoors on a windowsill or inside a greenhouse.
Jeff from The Ripe Tomato Farms said: "People always ask me what herbs they should be growing outside or even in a greenhouse. My answer always comes back to basil.
Learn to grow beautiful basil at home
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"Ease of growth, versatility, bountiful harvest and flavour that's out of this world, this is one herb I can never get enough of."
Basil is the perfect herb to grow because "its needs are relatively few". The gardening enthusiast said: "Even if just its basic requirements are met, it can be ridiculously productive."
The trick to growing basil is delaying its flowering because once it has flowered, "that's it in terms of use".
Basil can be grown both indoors and outdoors. They do not flourish in temperatures under 10C and their optimal temperature is around 21C.
Basil requires soil that is "well drained" but can also "hold onto moisture". The expert warned: "The large leaves of a basil plant get super thirsty - no doubt this plant will wilt and die in a heartbeat without adequate available moisture."
Speaking about the perfect soil conditions for basil seeds, Jeff advised: "Go with a high organic content, well drained, neutral to slightly acidic pH, free of debris and other impediments."
Gardeners should go light on the fertiliser, with slightly high Nitrogen content for optimal foliar growth - "this plant will love you for it".
Jeff recommended planting your basil seeds in pots. Go for pots that are between four to six inches deep, and at least 2.2 litres in volume. They should also have drainage holes in the bottom.
As for where to plant them, the gardening guru said: "The light from a kitchen or living room window is all your basil needs."
Basil does not need to be watered every day - especially the container ones. When you do water the plants, doing so from below is the "superior method".
To water a basil plant, simply place your pot in a container that has a little bit of water in it. Ensure the plant absorbs the water and that it isn't standing in it for more than a few hours.
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Basil is a beloved ingredient in many pasta dishes
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How to grow basil: A step-by-step guide
- In your moist, organic potting mix, sprinkle eight to 10 basil seeds around half an inch deep to ensure germination. Lay a damp paper towel over the surface of the soil to stop the topsoil from drying out.
- Once the basil seeds have pushed the paper towel up (after around three to five days), remove it.
- The first leaves that emerge are not what you are after. But soon after this, true leaves will start to emerge out of the centre.
- The faster you harvest your basil, the better. Start harvesting when your plants have two or three leaf nodes. These are the parts of the stem which branch out into more leaves or another branch. Harvest the basil by cutting it directly above one of the nodes.
- The node directly below the cut will form two new stems. These will get harvested themselves and become four stems. With this method, expect "exponential harvests" as stem production doubles each time they are cut.
- You can now start growing basil from cuttings. Cut a basil stem and submerge it in water by at least one node. As soon as you see more than five white roots, plant the basil cutting.
- Keep these basil cuttings well watered with a moderate amount of light and between 15-21C. These will be well established in about a week.
