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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Basil
Cooking Notes
Make herbal vinegar using basil; it retains the flavor and makes a great gift! See how to make herbal vinegar.
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I planted my basil outside and 3 of them did amazing, but 1 of them turned brown and looks dead. Do you know what happened?
HI, I have been buying basil from my local market. These come in plastic containers in the vegetable section. Most of the leaves are lovely green , but several have purpleish or brownish portions, some in mid-leaf , some barely at the edges. I usually pluck these spots off before eating, but I am wondering if they are safe to eat, or safe but maybe a little bitter. What do you advise? What is the cause? This is organic basil harvested leaves-- not plants.
Hi, Pam. It is possible that the basil is being damaged in transport and/or packaging. If the basil does not have an “off” smell, feel slimy, or look moldy, it should be safe to eat. But you are correct that it may taste bitter.
Hello, I don't understand what this means: "After the seedlings have produced their first six leaves, prune to above the second set. This encourages the plants to start branching, resulting in more leaves for harvest.
Every time a branch has six to eight leaves, repeat pruning the branches back to their first set of leaves."
What is the "second set"? And then what is the "first set"? Are you saying that once there are six leaves, to cut right above the 6th leaf? And then, when it has 6 leaves again, cut the stem off above that 6th leaf? Which leaves do you harvest if you are cutting it off above 6?
Hi! I found this site by accident, and enjoyed reading about Basil, so when I saw all your questions, I thought I’d validate the pruning process. Basil grows upright, 2x2 leaf sets at a time. Therefore, the plant gets really lanky and falls over! So keep pruning to keep the plant growing in a bushy way; do use what you prune off that day, or glean out any dusty bits and freeze good leaves and stems in a small sealable baggie. Basil is a lovely plant and so tasty!
I always companion plant, basil and tomatoes. But I also let a couple plants flower. The tiny flowers attract parasitic wasps, that will take care of any tomato horn worms, that you might have.
Good to know!
Great tip!
So good to know! Wow! Thank you!
I take tender cuttings from my basil before the end of the season and root them in a small custard dish, then i plant them in a good seed starting mix. EZ Peazy