Growing Basil

Ocimum basilicum : Lamiaceae / the mint family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  S    
T                   T T

(Best months for growing Basil in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 64°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 8 - 10 inches apart
  • Harvest in 10-12 weeks. Pick before flowering.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Tomato

Your comments and tips

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13 Nov 18, Yolandi (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Mine germinates so well and then I loose about 3/4 of them in the first 4weeks. The leaves die.... They re inside. Not sure whats going on
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19 Jun 16, Jennifer (Australia - temperate climate)
When cooking with basil do you use leaves and stems.
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26 Jun 16, Lee (Australia - arid climate)
Hi Jen you could use the stems but mostly I strip the leaves and use them only unless I am slow cooking.
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25 May 16, Amarjit (USA - Zone 6a climate)
Can I get basil in usa
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03 Feb 16, Barry (Australia - temperate climate)
What to feed and when basil plants
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02 Feb 16, megan (Australia - temperate climate)
A great tip to stop the slugs eating newly planted basil is to cut the bottom off a plastic coke bottle & cover them with it. Not only does it stop everything from eating your plants they grow super fast in there own little green house. Once they are big enough remove the bottles and you are left with a strong hardy plant.
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18 Dec 15, mavis buckmeister (Australia - temperate climate)
i crush garlic and mix it up into a spray with a few drops of lavender oil and nothing eats my basil - its a trick my grandfather taught me many years ago - don't know how or why it works - just know my basil keeps growing beautifully year after year after year.
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06 Jan 18, Corindikids (Australia - temperate climate)
Wld you mind being more specific about your garlic spray? How much garlic? Do you mix with water as well as lavender oil? If so, how much water?
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08 Dec 15, Prometheus (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Here's a quick tip for dealing with slug and snail damage to basil plants, if that is a problem for you (seems to always happen to me). Make a large spray container's worth of coffee up - you can use instant or ground. Then, add a very small squirt of dishwashing liquid to the bottle and give it a good shake. Sprayed liberally on plants, this makes for an excellent snail and slug repellent (although you do have to reapply after rain / overhead watering). I have lost more basil seedlings than you would believe this year due to a snail / slug army; this is the only way I have managed to have some left for the kitchen. Another item you can buy, which is probably even more effective against slugs / snails, is a product called copper tape. You just tape around the perimeter of your containers or raised beds, and they will stay well away - it gives them something akin to an electric shock. On the downside, it is quite expensive to purchase, even from ebay.
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15 Dec 15, dave (Australia - temperate climate)
use 30 cm of copper wire and fashion into a horseshoe this will increase the growth of the plant as well as keeping insects away from it. research lahkovsky machine to understand how this works
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Showing 61 - 70 of 123 comments
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I had the same problem at first. Most instructions aren't very clear on the details. The trick is to wait until there are 3-5 sets of true leaves on the seedling. Then, only cut off the top pair of leaves. Also don't pinch or trim until it is transplanted or in its final pot for growing. For the second "pinch," wait until the suckers (like on tomatoes) have 2-3 new sets of leaves, at least. Always use scissors or shears, btw. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than 1/3 of a plant's leaves at a time, if you want it to keep growing. Once I figured out how to trim my basil plants, they went nuts within a couple of months. Now I have more basil than I can handle!

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