Author: Lauren Kurtz / Source: wikiHow
Basil is a popular, fragrant herb with a variety of culinary uses. There are actually over 100 varieties of basil that all have slightly different tastes, from Italian sweet basil to Thai spicy basil. Most basil plants grow easily in outdoor gardens, and with a few minor alterations, you can grow basil indoors without much hassle, as well.
Sufficient amounts of sun and water are the key ingredients in getting your basil to thrive no matter where you plant it.- 1 Purchase basil seeds from a reliable source. Visit your local nursery or garden store to pick out basil seeds you’d like to plant, or you can buy them online. You can often buy a packet containing over 100 seeds at a very low price.
- If you’re buying the seeds online, do some research to find out which websites have the best seeds.
- 2 Use coarse, well-draining soil to plant the seeds in. Basil needs nutrient-rich soil that is able to drain water easily in order to grow into a healthy plant. You can find well-draining potting soil at a garden store, as well as online.[1]
- 3 Fill ¾ of a container with the soil. The container should offer sufficient drainage and can be made of clay, plastic, stone, or concrete. Use a spray bottle filled with water to give the soil a little moisture before filling the container up with soil so that it’s not quite full.[2]
- Look for drainage holes in the bottom regardless of the material. These are critical to ensure good drainage and a healthy plant. Be sure to use a tray underneath your pot to prevent water from coming out of the holes and leaking all over.
- A regular clay pot is a popular option, or seedling trays made of plastic.
- 4 Scatter the seeds into the container of soil. If you’re using small seedling trays, try to place about 3 seeds in each tray. If you’re using a larger pot, scatter 5-7 seeds on top of the soil, placing them evenly apart from one another.[3]
- It’s important to plant more than 1 seed in each tray in case some of them don’t end up sprouting.
- Aim for spreading the seeds about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart from one another.
- You don’t need to press the seeds into the soil.
- 5 Cover the seeds with a sprinkling of dry soil. You don’t need to add a thick layer, just enough to cover the seeds you’ve just planted—a layer of roughly 0.25 inches (0.64 cm). This will be just thick enough to protect the seeds while also helping them grow.[4]
- Avoid packing down the soil once it’s in the container.
- 6 Add additional moisture to the soil using a spray bottle. Use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the soil with a little bit more moisture—especially the added top layer. If you don’t have a spray bottle, run your hands under a faucet or dip them in a cup of water and sprinkle the water over the soil using your fingers.[5]
- Place the pot or container on top of a tray to catch any water that leaks…
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