How To Grow Basil From Seed To Harvest (Video)

Sharing is caring!

Learn how to grow basil from seed to harvest with this simple step by step guide.  Learn when and how to plant basil, when and how to harvest it, how to cook with it and preserve it.  Basil is fairly easy to grow providing you grow it in the heat of the summer as it doesn’t like the cold.  It isn’t bothered by many pests either, and if you keep it picked it will continue to produce until you get a frost.

lady with a tub of basil

Basil is a culinary herb that is a superfood loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting agents especially when eaten raw, like in pesto.  Basil has a very pungent aroma, as well. If something can smell green, basil can. It’s astonishingly vibrant and fresh.  I like to keep fresh basil in a vase on my countertop during the summer for decoration and to add to lots of dishes.  

Health Benefits Of Basil

Basil contains many vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Many of its health benefits come from these antioxidants, as well as its essential oils. These compounds mostly disappear during the drying process, so opt for fresh or frozen basil when possible to gain the most benefits.  More info on the health benefits of basil here.

Why You’ll Love Growing Basil

  • Growing basil is inexpensive because the seed doesn’t cost very much.   
  • It’s also very easy to grow, and if you keep it picked so it doesn’t go to seed, it will continue to grow until it gets a frost in the fall.  
  • It’s very easy to propagate and can be grown indoors during the winter.
  • One of the most delicious foods from the garden.
  • Basil is a superfood loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

Basil Varieties

There are many different types of basil you can choose from.  Everything from lemon basil and cinnamon basil, thai basil, purple and green basil and beyond.  My favorite sweet basil variety to grow is called Genovese basil.  You can get it from True Leaf Market, Berlin Seeds or Johnny’s Seeds.

basil

FAQ:

Where Can I Purchase Basil Seeds Or Plants?

You can purchase basil seeds from seed catalogs like Johnny’s SeedsBerlin Seeds or from True Leaf Market.  Basil plants are easy to start on your own using my DIY Seed Starting Setup, or they can also be purchased at your local nursery.

What is the trick to growing basil?

Basil prefers well drained fertile soil and needs to be watered 2 or 3 times a week on average.  The most important thing to remember about growing basil is that it likes to grow when it’s warm.  It is a summer loving plant, and cannot tolerate any frost.  The basil shown in the picture below has started to turn brown just because we had a couple of nights in the upper 40’s. Basil also likes to grow near tomato plants.  They are excellent when eaten together and also when they are grown together.

brown basil leaves from the cold

How Do You Pick Basil So It Keeps Growing

Basil will keep growing all the way until frost as long as you keep it from going to seed.  If you see the basil plant start to produce a flower, pinch off the stem right above where two leaves are growing.  (See video).  This will tell the plant to produce more stems and leaves, and not to put it’s energy into making seed.Everytime you pinch off the stem to pick basil leaves, the stem will split in two and grow two more stems.  

How Do You Care For Potted Basil?

Basil can be grown in a pot with drainage holes and kept under grow lights or in a sunny windowsill.  Water once a week, but be careful not to overwater it.  Harvest when there are plenty of leaves by pinching off the stems right above a leaf node, or where the leaves join the stem farther down the plant.  If the plant starts to flower, just pinch off the flower buds as they start to form.  Apply BioThrive liquid fertilizer to the plant once a month for best results.

When To Plant Basil Seeds Indoors?

You’ll want to seed your basil indoors about 4-6 weeks before wanting to transplant them out into your garden.  I suggest using the free garden planning app called Seedtime to help you know when to plant in your area.

small basil plants

When To Transplant Basil Seedlings Outdoors?

Transplant basil outdoors when all danger of frost is past.  Basil likes to grow in full sun where it’s nice and warm.

When Can I Harvest Basil?

Basil can be harvested about 30 days after it’s planted into the garden, or about 60 days after it was seeded.  How fast it grows will depend on the weather of course.  It’s best to harvest once or twice a week to keep it from going to seed.  You can always just pinch it back to keep it from going to seed as well. Even if you don’t need to harvest the basil at that time.

What Is The Best Spacing For Basil?

Basil should be planted about 4 to 6 inches apart in rows that are 8” apart.  I like to put three rows wide in a 30” wide bed.   I usually put my basil on the end of one of my growing beds, and then plant my other herbs including dill in the same bed because they all have similar spacing.

basket of green beans

Free plant spacing chart for growing on 30 inch wide beds

What Is The Best Way To Water Basil?

I like to water my garden using a drip irrigation system, but you can water it with a sprinkler as well.  Basil likes about 1 inch of water per week.  If you reach your hand down into the soil and there is moisture several inches down, then they probably don’t need watered.  Making the roots grow deeper in search of water will create a healthier, more robust plant.  

Where To Plant Basil In The Garden?

Basil prefers to grow in full sun, in loose well-drained, rich soil.  It prefers a soil PH of 6.0 to 7.5 but is widely adaptable and will grow almost anywhere.  To learn more about how I test my soil, click here.

How To Keep Weeds Out Of Your Basil?

Keeping basil weed-free is important for it to be able to have full access to the soil nutrients and sunlight without any competition.  I like to grow my basil on fabric which helps me keep the weeds out of it.  If you are not going to grow on fabric, I suggest you set up a weekly cultivating schedule, and use a collinear hoe or similar tool to keep the weeds out of your basil.  Once your basil gets several sets of leaves and is all bushed out, it will keep any new weeds from sprouting because they won’t be able to get any sunlight.

How To Propogate New Basil Plants?

The easiest way to propagate basil is by taking basil cuttings.  To do this, simply pinch off a stem with leaves on it just above a lower set of leaves.  Place that stem in a cup of water and let it set out at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks.  Change the water daily.  The stem will grow roots, and can then be planted into a pot or out into the garden.  You can also pinch off a stem with leaves on it, and just plant it right into some soil.  Keep it moist and in just a few days it will have rooted and will begin growing.  You don’t want to try to dig up a well established basil plant and transplant it.  It’s much easier to just propagate a new plant.

bunch of basil

Best Onion Companion Plants For Basil

  • Bell Peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Asparagus
  • Beets
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower

Worst Potato Companion Plants For Basil

  • Cucumbers
  • Sage

How Much Basil Should I Plant?

Basil continues to get bigger and produce more as the summer goes along.  This is because the stem starts growing two more stems every time you pinch it off, or harvest it. 6 to 8 plants will produce more than enough for the average sized family.  However, I like to grow a larger basil patch just to make sure I have plenty. I also sell basil to our local grocery store, so I plant extra for that purpose too.

basil a few weeks after transplant

How To Preserve Basil?

Dehydrating

Basil can be dehydrated in a food dehydrator of on a cookie sheet in your oven on it’s lowest setting.  Just strip the leaves from the stems, and place them on the trays to dry for a few hours at low heat.  Crunch up the leaves and store in a jar.  The jar can be vacuum sealed to help preserve freshness if desired.  You can also just put a rubber band around the base of each bunch of basil, and then hang it up upside down somewhere in your house to air dry.

Freezing

Blend your basil leaves with a drizzle of olive oil.  Place in ice cube trays, or even gallon ziplock bags, and just separate the basil into sections in the bag while it’s laid flat in the freezer.  These sections will freeze, and are then easy to pull out of the bag and throw into soup or any other italian dish.

Make Pesto

You can make my simple basil pesto recipe and then freeze it in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

How To Direct Seed Basil

Those that live in warmer climates with a longer growing season than I have, can just sow basil right into a pot or into the garden.  Keep the soil moist while waiting for the seeds to germinate.  One drawback of direct seeding any crop is that it can be difficult to keep the weeds from taking over the plants especially when they are very young.  The weed seeds usually germinate as fast or faster than the basil seeds, and can quickly take over.  This is why I prefer to transplant most of my crops.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Shop This Post

How To Grow Basil

Soil Blocks

I suggest starting all of your seeds that need to be started indoors in soil blocks.  Making soil blocks, which is the process of molding potting soil into cubes for the purpose of starting seeds, is an easy and efficient way to start your vegetable and flower seeds.  It promotes vigorous root growth and healthier seedlings that won’t experience transplant shock when planted out into the garden.  It also reduces plastic waste, because you don’t have to use any of those disposable plastic trays traditionally used for starting seeds.  Learn how to make your own soil blocks here.

soil blocks

Start Indoors

Option 1 – Pelleted Seeds

I suggest starting basil seeds indoors and then transplanting them into the garden when all danger of frost and cold weather is past.  Basil seed is very tiny, so I usually purchase pelleted seed to make it easier to plant, but non-pelleted seed is fine too.  Pelleted seed is just a seed that has been coated to give it a round, smooth, uniform shape and size, making it bigger and easier to handle when planting. I usually put two pelleted seeds into each soil block.  

Option 2 – Non-Pelleted Seeds

Another way you can start basil seed, especially if it’s not pelleted, is by sprinkling the seed over the top of a 1″ layer of fine moistened soil in a tray. After the seeds have sprouted and started growing their first set of true leaves, transplant them into soil blocks. If you transplant baby basil plants into your soil blocks, you’ll also have full flats of soil blocks. Sometimes if you just seed directly into your soil blocks, you may end up with a soil block or two that doesn’t have anything growing in it if those seeds don’t germinate.

baby basil plants
transplanting baby basil

For either method, you’ll want to cover the seeds with about ¼” of potting soil and water gently.  Place trays into a warm place in your house, or onto a heat mat to keep them warm.  Cover with plastic to keep the seeds from drying out.  This will help the seeds to germinate faster.  Check the trays daily and remove the plastic cover as soon as the seeds start to germinate.

Place the basil trays on a seed starting rack under grow lights.  I suggest using my Budget Friendly DIY Indoor Seed Starting Setup. I like to bottom water my soil blocks by putting a solid tray underneath, and just pouring a little bit of water in them daily or every other day, just enough to keep them from drying out.

small basil plants

Transplant To The Garden

When all danger of frost is past, it’s time to transplant your basil into the garden or a pot.  I prefer to grow my basil in the garden because I grow a large patch every year and sell some to my local grocery store (see video below).  I do most of my growing on 30-inch wide beds, which is what I recommend in my garden planning tutorial.  This is a better use of your garden space than if you are planting in rows. The best spacing for basil is 3 rows 8” apart, with 4-6” between each plant in row.  To learn more about how to space the plants in your garden, download your free copy of the spacing chart below.

Keep Moist

Keep the soil moist until the basil acclimates to it’s new growing space.  This can take a week or two depending on your soil temperature and weather conditions.  I will often set up a gentle sprinkler over my basil to make sure its getting the water it needs until their roots become established.  Once they are growing new leaves, you’ll know they are acclimated and then it’s fine to just water them with a drip line.

Water and Weed

Give your basil about 1” of water per week.  If it’s really hot, it might need more, but be careful not to overwater your garden.  Cultivate or weed once a week, and the weeds will be easy to keep up with.  If using the fabric, I typically only have to weed them about twice during the season, because the basil will soon be big enough to shade out any weeds.  

How To Harvest Basil

When the basil has grown 3-4 sets of new leaves, you can start harvesting it.  To harvest it, just pinch off a basil stem that has leaves on it right above a lower set of leaves.  Keep in mind that everywhere you pinch off the stems it will branch out and grow two more stems.  This is why the bushy plants produce more throughout the growing season.

How To Store Fresh Basil

You can store fresh basil stems in a jar or vase of water at room temperature.  As long as the stems can reach the water, they will keep for a long time.  It’s a good idea to change the water every so often to keep them fresh.

How To Preserve Basil

Basil is best when eaten fresh, but it can be preserved for winter use by drying or freezing.  

To dehydrate the basil, place the leaves on your dehydrator trays and dry for 24 hours or until completely dry.

To freeze basil, blend the leaves in a food processor with a little bit of olive oil.  Place into ice cube trays and freeze.  Then put frozen basil cubes into a gallon ziplock bag and store in the freezer.  You can easily put a basil cube into soup during the winter to add some fresh taste.

You can also make homemade pesto and freeze it for a yummy dip or snack in the winter.

I hope you try growing your own basil, and let me know in the comments below if you have any questions. 

How To Grow Basil

basil

Learn how to grow basil from seed to harvest with this simple step by step guide.  Learn when and how to plant basil, when and how to harvest it, how to cook with it and preserve it.  Basil is fairly easy to grow providing you grow it in the heat of the summer as it doesn’t like the cold.  Basil isn’t bothered by many pests either, and if you keep it picked it will continue to produce until you get a frost.

Materials

  • Basil Seed
  • Soil Blocks

Instructions

Soil Blocks

I suggest starting all of your seeds that need to be started indoors in soil blocks.  Making soil blocks, which is the process of molding potting soil into cubes for the purpose of starting seeds, is an easy and efficient way to start your vegetable and flower seeds.  It promotes vigorous root growth and healthier seedlings that won’t experience transplant shock when planted out into the garden.  It also reduces plastic waste, because you don’t have to use any of those disposable plastic trays traditionally used for starting seeds.  Learn how to make your own soil blocks here.

Start Indoors

Basil does best if it’s started indoors from seed, and then transplanted into the garden when all danger of frost and cold weather is past.  Basil seed is very tiny, so I usually purchase pelleted seed to make it easier to plant, but non pelleted seed is fine too.  Pelleted seed is seed that has been coated to give it a round, smooth, uniform shape and size.  If you get pelleted seed you can put two seeds into each two-inch soil block.  Another way you can start basil seed is by sprinkling the seed over the top of a 1" layer of fine moistened soil in a tray. For either method, you'll want to cover the seeds with about ¼” of potting soil and water gently.  Place trays into a warm place in your house, or onto a heat mat to keep them warm.  Cover with plastic to keep the seeds from drying out.  This will help the seeds to germinate faster.  Check the trays daily and remove the plastic cover as soon as the seeds start to germinate.

Place the basil trays on a seed starting rack under grow lights.  I suggest using my Budget Friendly DIY Indoor Seed Starting Setup. I like to bottom water my soil blocks by putting a solid tray underneath, and just pouring a little bit of water in them daily or every other day, just enough to keep them from drying out.

Transplant To The Garden

When all danger of frost is past, it’s time to transplant your basil into the garden or a pot.  I prefer to grow my basil in the garden because I grow a large patch every year and sell some to my local grocery store (see video below).  I do most of my growing on 30-inch wide beds, which is what I recommend in my garden planning tutorial.  This is a better use of your garden space than if you are planting in rows. The best spacing for basil is 3 rows 8” apart, with 4-6” between each plant in row.  To learn more about how to space the plants in your garden, download your free copy of the spacing chart below.

Keep Moist

Keep the soil moist until the basil acclimates to it’s new growing space.  This can take a week or two depending on your soil temperature and weather conditions.  I will often set up a gentle sprinkler over my basil to make sure its getting the water it needs until their roots become established.  Once they are growing new leaves, you’ll know they are acclimated and then it’s fine to just water them with a drip line.

Water and Weed

Give your basil about 1” of water per week.  If it’s really hot, it might need more, but be careful not to overwater your garden.  Cultivate or weed once a week, and the weeds will be easy to keep up with.  If using the fabric, I typically only have to weed them about twice during the season, because the basil will soon be big enough to shade out any weeds.  

How To Harvest Basil

When the basil has grown 3-4 sets of new leaves, you can start harvesting it.  To harvest it, just pinch off a basil stem that has leaves on it right above a lower set of leaves.  Keep in mind that everywhere you pinch off the stems it will branch out and grow two more stems.  This is why the bushy plants produce more throughout the growing season.

How To Store Fresh Basil

You can store fresh basil stems in a jar or vase of water at room temperature.  As long as the stems can reach the water, they will keep for a long time.  It’s a good idea to change the water every so often to keep them fresh.

How To Preserve Basil

Basil is best when eaten fresh, but it can be preserved for winter use by drying or freezing.  

To dehydrate the basil, place the leaves on your dehydrator trays and dry for ??

To freeze basil, blend the leaves in a food processor with a little bit of olive oil.  Place into ice cube trays and freeze.  Then put frozen basil cubes into a gallon ziplock bag and store in the freezer.  You can easily put a basil cube into soup during the winter to add some fresh taste.

You can also make homemade pesto and freeze it for a yummy dip or snack in the winter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *