Basil
Herbs
50-75 days to harvestFrost Sensitive
Growing Requirements
☀️
Full Sun
6+ hours
💧
Regular
Water needs
↔️
12"
Spacing
🧪
6-7
Soil pH
Companion Planting
✓ Plant With
✗ Avoid Planting With
Growing Tips
- •Pinch flower buds to prolong leaf production
- •Harvest from top to encourage bushy growth
- •Classic partner for tomatoes in garden and kitchen
- •Many varieties: sweet, Thai, lemon, purple
- •Basil roots easily in water — take a 4-inch cutting, strip lower leaves, put in a glass on the windowsill. Roots appear in 7-10 days; transplant when roots are 1 inch long. Free plants forever.
- •Leggy plant fix: if the basil is tall and sparse but still green, cut everything back by half (just above any leaf node). New shoots will emerge from every node below. If the lower stem is bare and brown, the plant won't recover — take tip cuttings instead and start fresh.
- •Storing harvested basil: stems in water like cut flowers, on the counter, NOT the fridge. Basil blackens below ~50°F. Use within 5 days fresh, or chop and freeze in olive oil for winter pesto base.