Growing basil from seeds and caring for them in the open ground

Fragrant and spicy basil, the cultivation of which is not particularly difficult, has been known to humanity for more than 5 thousand years and is widely used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. The culture is unpretentious and decorative; it can be kept at home on the windowsill as a houseplant and a fresh green spice. Grown on a personal plot or in a vegetable garden, basil will delight you with a bountiful harvest all summer long, if you follow simple rules of agricultural technology.

Introduction to basil: description of the plant

Basil (Ocimum) is an aromatic annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Its name can be translated from Greek as “royal” or “royal”. Among the wide variety of herbs and greens, it occupies a dominant position.

A variety of varieties of this crop are suitable for growing basil in open ground, which differ not only in leaf color, but also in taste. The above-ground part of the plant can be yellowish-green, dark green and dark purple. The tetrahedral stems of this herb do not grow more than 0.3-0.6 m, covered with shiny and rough leaves of an ovoid-oblong shape. The shoot ends in an inflorescence consisting of several white or pinkish-purple buds.

Essential oils contained in fresh and dried herbs give dishes a refined and sophisticated, subtle taste of allspice, delicate notes of spicy cloves and a tart lemon aroma. The plant contains a rich set of useful substances (phytoncides, camphor, tannins), vitamins (E, A, C, PP, K, group B), minerals (potassium, manganese, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, mercury and other).

Basil seed sowing

Basil can be sowed directly into open ground in a garden plot or previously into individual containers for seedlings, which are moved to the garden bed after the onset of stable heat. The seedling method allows you to get a harvest of fragrant greens much earlier.In addition, in the fall the seeds have time to ripen and can be collected for sowing next year. This option is considered the most preferable when growing crops, although with the first method you can also collect a lot of aromatic herbs.

When to sow basil: the process of planting the plant

Planting basil seedlings carried out approximately 55-60 days before the expected day of moving the seedlings into open ground. It is recommended to do this at the end of March or beginning of April. This time is enough for the seedlings to fully develop; it makes no sense to plant earlier. First, prepare a soil mixture from equal parts of peat, garden soil and well-rotted humus. You can use universal gardening compounds sold in stores.

The soil is poured into boxes or individual pots with a mandatory drainage layer at least 3-4 cm thick.

To speed up germination, it is recommended to additionally fertilize the soil with a special mineral composition prepared from potassium chloride, urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate (½ tsp per 5 liters of water). The soil in the box is sprinkled with a mineralized solution and left to warm up to room temperature for several hours. Seed material is prepared in advance. To do this, it is kept warm for about 2 weeks, and immediately before sowing it is soaked for 9-10 hours in a solution of potassium permanganate or any growth stimulant (Zircon, Epin).

You need to sow basil using the following technology:

• seeds are planted in the soil no deeper than 0.8-1 cm;
• gently water with settled water at room temperature;
• cover the container with glass or transparent plastic film and place it in a well-lit, sunny place (window sill) with a temperature of at least +23 °C;
• when the first shoots appear (after 7-10 days), the temperature must be reduced to +17...+20 °C so that the seedlings do not stretch out;
• When 2-4 full-fledged leaves appear, the seedlings can be planted in separate pots.

How to care for seedlings?

When grown from seeds, basil requires the following conditions:

1. Regular ventilation of seedlings. The cover is removed daily for 10-15 minutes.
2. Good lighting. Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch out and be stunted. They need to be turned periodically to prevent them from growing askew. If there is a lack of light, the plantings are illuminated with fluorescent or phytolamps.
3. Watering. Carry out carefully and carefully, only with warm water. Excessive waterlogging of the substrate can cause the development of blackleg, which will destroy the seedlings. If this happens, you can spray the basil seedlings with a urea solution (½ tsp per 1 liter of water).
4. Loosening. About once every 10-14 days.
5. Feeding. After 5 leaves appear, the seedling is pinched to increase bushiness. When the side shoots grow a little, the seedlings are fertilized with organic matter (humus, manure).

Planting seedlings in the ground

Basil seedlings are planted in open ground only when warm weather sets in and the soil warms up to +15...+17 °C. In most regions, this time falls at the end of May or the first ten days of June. Experienced vegetable growers recommend starting to harden off seedlings about a week before the expected date.

To do this, containers with plants are taken out and left outside for 15 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air to several hours. To get a good harvest of spicy herbs, it is necessary to comply with some agricultural technology conditions.

What should the soil be like to plant basil?

For this herb, choose illuminated sunny places on the site.But the crop does not tolerate cold winds and drafts, so it is advisable to plant seedlings under the protection of large trees and shrubs, as well as near fences and various buildings. Basil grows well in loose, fertile and well-drained light soils. The best predecessors for it are cucumbers, tomatoes and legumes.

It is recommended to prepare the planting site in the fall. When digging to a depth of at least 25-30 cm, the following fertilizers are applied per 1 m²:

• humus or rotted compost - 3.5-50 kg (depending on the nutritional composition of the soil);
• granulated superphosphate - 20-25 g;
• potassium sulfate - 10-12 g.

Immediately before planting, the soil is watered generously with a fertilizer solution (½ teaspoon of potassium chloride, urea and potassium sulfate per ½ bucket of water).

If the selected area is located in a lowland, then it is better to make the beds high and fence them with boards or other material. Basil will not grow well in damp, waterlogged and airtight soils.

How to plant seedlings correctly?

It is better to plant seedlings on a cloudy and rainy day to avoid sunburn on the tender leaves. Holes are dug 9-10 cm deep at a distance of 15-17 cm from each other, leaving at least 25-30 cm between the rows, otherwise the bushes will be crowded. You need to pour water into the holes (at least 1 liter), then you can plant basil in the wet soil.

The soil around each plant is carefully compacted and watered again. The first time of planting, cover with film at night. When the seedlings take root well and begin to grow, the shelter is completely removed.

Caring for basil: features of growing an aromatic plant

Basil is a heat-loving plant, this should be taken into account when choosing a variety for planting.It must be adapted to local climatic conditions. In the middle zone, it is recommended to grow this crop in seedlings. The best varieties for this region are:

• Russian giant purple (clove-pepper).
• Dragon (clove-pepper).
• Peppery aroma (spicy pepper).
• Yerevan (pepper-tea).
• Ararat (anise).
• Valya (clove).
• Greek (mint-pepper).
• Velvet (mint).
• Aniskin (anise).

To grow basil, it is necessary to provide proper care for it, which consists of timely regular watering, loosening the soil, weeding and fertilizing.

Watering and caring for the garden bed

For proper cultivation of basil, it is important to follow the watering regime. It is necessary to moisten the soil only after its top layer has dried. Severe dampness can lead to rotting of the root system. It is recommended to water after weeding and loosening, so that more air reaches the roots and moisture seeps out faster. It is imperative to remove weeds, since they take away nutrients from the cultivated plant and their powerful root system interferes with the growth of the herb. We water the ridges exclusively with warm, settled water.

When does a plant need to be fertilized and how to do it?

To get good and abundant growth green mass of fragrant basil, it is necessary to fertilize with fertilizers containing nitrogen. To do this, you can use a simple nitrophoska, diluting it in the following proportions: 2 tbsp. l. granules per 12 liters of water. Each bush needs to be watered, the consumption is approximately 3-4 liters per 1 m² of planting.

The first feeding is carried out at the end of June or early July, the second - after 3-4 weeks.

This herb is a disease-resistant crop. All basil diseases are associated with unfavorable weather conditions or errors in agricultural technology. With thickened plantings, low temperatures and excessive moisture, it can be affected by fusarosis and gray rot. Diseased bushes are removed and fresh ones are planted in their place.

As a preventive measure and in the initial stages of pathology development, spraying with onion peel infusion (4 parts water and 1 part onion peel) is used. It is not recommended to plant this spicy plant for more than 2 years in one place, as this increases the likelihood of infection with fungal infections (fusarium).

Insect pests attack basil extremely rarely; they are not attracted to the phytoncides contained in its leaves. Many gardeners even use this crop in mixed plantings to repel aphids and spider mites from other crops.

Harvesting: how to collect greens?

Basil can be harvested throughout the growing season. Single leaves can be plucked continuously for consumption. But you cannot completely expose the bush, as it will certainly die. After flowering begins, the above-ground part loses its aroma and original rich taste, and even becomes bitter. Therefore, flower brushes on specimens not intended for subsequent production of seed material must be torn off.

When and how is cutting done?

Mass harvest of basil is carried out twice per season:

1. Before flowering (early July), as soon as the buds appear, large grass is cut off. Only the upper part is collected, leaving the lower branches.
2. When the side shoots grow well on the bush, they can also be cut off.This occurs 4-5 weeks after the first harvest (early or mid-August).

To obtain spicy herbs all year round, several specimens of basil can be transplanted into flower pots and kept on the windowsill at home all winter.

How to prepare basil?

Growing basil requires a temperature not lower than +20...+25 °C, so at the end of August the bushes stop growing and healthy greens need to be harvested for storage for the winter. This is done in several ways:

1. Drying. It can be dried in a natural way, in which the cut branches are scattered in a thin layer and placed in a dry, well-ventilated place without direct sunlight. You can dry the greens in the oven at a temperature of about +40 ° C or in the microwave. Store dried spices in tightly closed glass or porcelain containers.
2. Freezing. The green mass is crushed, frozen, then placed in individual bags or plastic jars and stored in the freezer.
3. Canning. There are many different recipes in which basil is salted and preserved. You can make basil paste from it.

The most common method of harvesting this herb is drying. In this form, basil retains its original aroma and a large amount of beneficial substances for the longest time.