Basil

Basil is so easy to grow that even if you are a first-time gardener, you can reap bountiful harvests of this annual summer herb. The variety of selections, including several purple-leafed types, makes it a treasured ornamental and culinary herb. Basil's fragrance and taste are unmatched in salads (especially in tomato salads), in vegetables, and in meat and pasta dishes. Since basil is a tender annual, you will need to replant it each spring.

In the Landscape
Basil is a woody, branching herb that will become 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, growing quickly as soon as the weather warms in spring. Although its primary place is in an herb garden, some selections are sought after for landscaping as well. Purple basil's deep maroon foliage contrasts handsomely with dianthus, Madagascar periwinkle, petunias, pink cosmos, and yarrow. Fine Green and Spicy Globe are bushy, low-growing, mounding plants with small leaves; they are excellent culinary herbs, but many gardeners also grow them as ornamental bedding plants. They are ideal at the front of a flower border to mask leggy stems and are great for filling holes left by spring bulbs. Because of their compact growth habit, they perform equally as well in containers.

Planting and Care
For best results, plant basil in full sun. In the South, however, basil benefits from afternoon shade. You can buy transplants at garden centers, but basil grows so easily from seed that you may want to grow your own transplants or sow seeds directly in the garden. Basil will not grow in cold soil, so you should wait to start your plants two to four weeks after all danger of frost is past.

Basil likes soil that has a pH of 6.0 and is rich, moist, and well drained. Add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil before or during planting. Plant seeds in a shallow furrow and cover with 1/4 inch of soil. Because basil seeds have a jellylike coating that makes them float easily, be sure to firm the soil to keep them from washing away with the first rain. When plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin them to 18 to 24 inches apart.

For an earlier start, sow seeds in flats six weeks before the last frost date in your area. Set transplants out when they are 3 to 4 inches tall, spacing them 18 to 24 inches apart. Basil transplants will not grow much until the days are warmer and longer, but then they will grow rapidly. You can sow them a second time in midsummer.

Basil requires little maintenance--only monthly clipping or pinching back to promote new growth and prevent seedheads from forming. If seeds develop, they will drop and may sprout the following year. After a heavy clipping, fertilize with liquid fertilizer according to label directions. Keep the soil moist, especially after harvesting, as dry soil can stunt growth.

Basil will often cross-pollinate with other selections of basil planted nearby, resulting in seedlings that may not have the same traits as the original plants. If you want your basil to propagate by reseeding, isolate each selection.

You can propagate small-leafed selections from stem cuttings and overwinter them indoors.