Planting Your Basil Seeds
Basil seeds are tiny. The easiest way to plant them is to tip the contents of the packet into your palm then sprinkle them across the surface of your seed raising media. The seeds will fall into the small cracks and can be very lightly topped with a sprinkle of media.
Germination rates for basil seeds vary and can take up to a couple of weeks. We find starting them off in seed-raising pots or trays is ideal, as this allows us to protect the seedlings from pests. Basil as a companion plant to repel bugs from other vegetables growing in your patch is, in our opinion, a fallacy. Grasshoppers, slugs, and grubs love basil! Particularly seedlings.
Keep your seeds / seedlings moist, watering in the mornings if possible. Basil seedlings are particularly susceptible to ‘damping off’, and watering in the mornings rather than late in the day helps to avoid this.
Hints for Growing Basil
Once your basil seedlings are strong and established plant them out in your garden bed or a large pot. Keep an eye on them to keep pests away.
Basil is hardy and, given soil of a reasonable quality, will grow into a productive bush.
To prolong the lifespan of this annual, take off the flower spikes as they appear.
When you decide to let the plant flower, basil is a magnet for bees, particularly the small native ones, and will increase pollination throughout your vegetable patch.