🌱 Sowing & planting
- Sowing depth: approximately 0.3 cm.
- Sowing distance: 5 cm between seeds, suitable for all pot sizes. Sow two seeds per planting hole and thin them out later to the best plants.
- Germination temperature & germination time: 21–29 °C, germinates in about 5–10 days.
- Planting distance: plant out the entire seed pot. In open ground, leave about 25 cm of space around the plants, or plant them in a large pot.
- Plant out: when the plant has 2 true leaves, plant it in a large pot; when the plant has 6 true leaves, plant it outside in the open ground.
- Growth cycle: approximately 125 days.
📅 Growing times throughout the year
- Sowing indoors/under glass: sow in April–May, transplant in May–June and harvest from July to October.
- Sowing in situ: sow from May to July and harvest from August to October.
Start cultivation (sowing)
Harvesting
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
🪟 Pre-sowing (indoors/glass → outdoors)
Sow in place
🏠 Indoor / in house
🪟 In greenhouse / conservatory / under glass
Outdoor / open ground (on site)
🌿 Popular breeds
- Dark Opal (red basil)
- Coarse basil (also available in organic )
📘 Basic information
- Crop group: herbs.
- Crop family: Lamiaceae.
- Height: approximately 20–60 cm.
- Growth cycle: approx. 125 days.
- Frost resistant: no, sensitive to frost and cold.
- Root system: root depth approximately 20–30 cm.
- Preferred soil: pH 5.1–8.5, preferably sandy soil in open ground; in pots, a good vegetable garden potting soil .
- Fertilization: Fertilize lightly every month with universal fertilizer granules.
🌞💧 Pitch & water
Location: 🌞 lots of sun.
Watering: 💧💧 water moderately in open ground, 💧💧💧 water generously in a pot.
🤝 Good & Bad Neighbors
Good neighbors
- Tomato
- Potato
- Asparagus
- Beans
- Beetroot
- Anise
- Bell pepper
Bad neighbors
- Sage
- Swiss chard
❗ Dangers & Concerns
Basil is susceptible to slug damage and does not tolerate frost and cold well. Protect young plants and wait to plant out until the minimum temperature is above 15°C.
🧺 Harvesting & storing
When the seedlings have their first six leaves, pinch off the top two. The plant will then form side shoots. Every time a side shoot has six to eight leaves, you can harvest the top two leaves again. You can continue picking this for up to about 100 days.
Basil leaves can be used fresh, dried, or frozen in ice cubes for later use. Store dried leaves in a tightly sealed jar or tin.
