Toggle navigation

Potted: Basil

its time to take the plunge! Photo - duckeesue/Shutterstock.com

There are many types of basil to choose from: Thai, lemon, Greek perennial, globe, holy and purple, but regular sweet basil is indispensable, so start with that, then add to your collection. Basil grows easily from seed or seedlings. Use a fertiliser high in nitrogen to encourage leaves rather than flowers. (Fertilisers high in potassium and phosphorus are developed to encourage flowering so avoid those.) Pick off any flowers as soon as you spot them, and harvest often to encourage new stems with new fresh leaves. Next autumn allow some flowers to develop and collect an envelope of dried seeds for next spring.

 

About this article

Author: Linda Ross