Growing Herbs - Basil

 Basil is a culinary herb that is a main ingredient for many recipes. When you add fresh  basil leaves to soups, sauces and entrees the flavor of the food will be heightened.  The foods that are prepared with basil herb are always well received by family and friends as they are delicious. If you enjoy cooking then I would recommend that you grow basil in your herb garden.

Aromatic and Delicious African Blue Basil

Grow basil from seed by starting the seeds indoors, planting in a grow kit, and set by a sunny southern exposure window.  Keep the seedlings soil evenly moist but not wet.  Transplant after the threat of spring frost has passed.  Plant the basil in a sunny location that has well-drained soil.  Water lightly in the morning until the plants are mature, then you would water as needed.  A mature basil plant is approximately two feet in height with a similar spread. 

The leaves of the basil are green and highly aromatic.  This herb produces a flower that blooms mid to late summer.  The flowers attract bees and butterflies.  If your summers are hot then grow basil as they flourish in hot humid climates.  

I grow Thai, cinnamon, and African blue basil in various sized containers and decorative pots and also in my rock garden. In the summer, I display the basil in containers on my patio and along my walkways. The aromatic scent of the basil plants is refreshing and repels many flying insects including mosquitoes. It is nice to enjoy the fragrant basil while sitting on the patio.

  
Tips
In the winter, I bring my basil herb containers into my kitchen or into the greenhouse and set them by a sunny southern exposure window.  

In January when the winter days are long and dark we will set the basil under a grow light.  Basil likes it hot so we set the plant container in the center and set the other herbs on the sides or behind the basil.

If you enjoy cooking with fresh herbs then harvest the basil leaves before the flowers bloom. My husband enjoys cooking he will not permit some basil plants to flower because the leaves have a stronger taste after the plant blooms.  

It is best to grow many basil plants so you can enjoy the fragrance and the flavor.

When you add basil to your kitchen herb garden, the plant's aromatic properties add a fresh scent to your home.

 

Container Herb Garden

A herb garden that is grown in a container has many features as it allows you to transport your herbs outside during the summer and bring them back inside when the weather turns cold.  A container garden is also a good choice for a person who has limited space. If you have a small yard or if you live in an apartment that has a sunny balcony a container garden is all you need.

You can grow herbs in any type of container as herbs are not picky and will grow well in clay pots, window boxes, wheelbarrows, terracotta, or even vintage tin container.  Search for unique containers at garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets. The possibilities are endless when it comes to planting herb container gardens.

A few years ago I had a client that collected vintage bathtubs, baby beds, mailboxes, and bicycles.  She had them lying in her gardens as features.  I convinced her to allow me to use them as containers and to grow herbs in them.  I moved the bathtub close to her pond and planted lavender in it.  The vintage iron baby bed held an assortment of herbs; sweet basil, sage, lemon balm, and thyme, with creeping rosemary growing off the sides.  I moved the iron bed close to the patio area and set up a solar spotlight to highlight the herb arrangement at night.  My client was thrilled with the herb container gardens.  

When it comes to growing herbs in containers I would suggest that you use what you have anything that will hold soil and allows the herb comfortable growing space will work, provided that you have water drainage holes at the bottom of the container.

image by freerangestock.com

When you are ready to plant your herb container garden choose a combination of herbs that suit your needs. If you like to cook you may want to grow culinary herbs if you like to make soaps, potpourri, or natural mosquito repellents you would want to grow fragrant herbs and if you like to heal your body naturally you would grow medicinal herbs.  You can grow herbs easily from seeds or from a nursery-grown plant. 

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