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Gardening Tips

Articles

How to grow basil

Details: Category: Tips for plants; Published on Thursday, 04 December 2008 21:32; Written by Graham; Hits: 340

Basil is a favorite summer herb, excellent when teamed with tomato. It is easy to grow in this region of France.

Basil is best grown from seed, or buy established plants from nursery or garden center. Don't expect good results from planting out herbs bought from supermarkets that are growing in pots. These are intended for culinary use, and have been raised quickly - typically 20 to 25 days from seed to supermarket. Consequently the root system has not had time to develop strongly, at the expense of good top growth.

To grow basil from seed, sow seeds in spring into pots of compost, lightly covering with vermiculite or fine compost. Maintain at 20 ⁰C and water sparingly until the seeds germinate. Grow on in warm light conditions (windowsill or greenhouse). As soon as about four true leaves have developed, seedlings can be planted out into the garden, provided that the night temperate stays above 13 ⁰C. An open bottle cloche can be used to give extra protection, and if slugs and snails are around you will need to protect the young plants from these as well. Harvest leaves throughout the summer, making sure that you leave at least three pairs of side shoots to allow continued growth.

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