Hardly any herb is bought so often and killed so fast as basil. The supermarket pot looks lush and is a sad ruin a week later. That is rarely your fault and almost always because these pots are hopelessly overcrowded and the plants coddled.
Yet basil is rewarding once you know its three basic needs: warmth, correct watering and correct harvesting. This article shows you how your basil lasts all summer instead of dying within days.
Warmth, warmth, warmth
Basil comes from the tropics and has correspondingly clear demands. It tolerates no cold at all: even temperatures around 10 degrees turn the leaves black. So basil goes outdoors only after the last frosts in mid-May, to the warmest, sunniest spot you have.
On the windowsill too it wants to stand warm and bright, not on the cool north sill. A basil that shivers is a basil that dies.
Water from below
The second big mistake is watering over the leaves. Basil is prone to fungal diseases, above all blackleg, which turns the stem black from the bottom and makes the plant collapse. Wet leaves and permanently damp soil are its invitation.
So water from below: stand the pot briefly in a saucer of water, let the soil soak up and pour off the rest. That keeps the leaves and stem base dry while the roots get what they need.
Harvesting right means cutting right
The third mistake is the harvest. Many pluck individual large leaves from the bottom, and the plant shoots up bare. The right way is the opposite: always harvest a whole shoot tip above a leaf pair.
Cut above the leaf pair
Pinch or cut the shoot just above a pair of small side leaves. From their axils two new shoots grow, and the plant becomes bushy.
Harvest regularly
The more often you harvest the tips, the denser the basil grows. Never cut, and you get a long, bare plant with few leaves.
Pinch out flowers
As soon as flower buds show, pinch them out. If the basil flowers, it puts its energy into seed, the leaves turn bitter and the plant ages fast.
Split the supermarket pot
Divide a bought, overcrowded pot into several smaller portions and replant them with space. That way each plant has room and air.
Keep it warm, water from below, harvest above the leaf pair. Follow these three and you harvest all summer instead of mourning after a week.
The core rule for basil
Frequently asked questions
Why does my supermarket basil die so quickly?
Because far too many plants stand in that pot in the smallest space and were coddled in the greenhouse. Divide the pot, replant the portions with space, keep them warm and water from below. Then the basil often recovers.
How do I water basil correctly?
From below via the saucer, never over the leaves. Basil is prone to fungal diseases like blackleg, which love wet leaves and waterlogging. Keep the soil moist but never let it stand in water.
How do I harvest basil so it regrows?
Always cut a whole shoot tip just above a leaf pair, not individual leaves. From the leaf axils two new shoots grow, and the plant becomes nicely bushy instead of long and bare.
Why does my basil turn bitter?
Usually because it flowers. As soon as the plant goes into bloom, the flavour changes and the leaves turn bitter. Pinch out the flower buds early, then the aroma stays mild and the plant young.
Can basil grow outdoors in the bed?
Yes, but only after the last frosts in mid-May, in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot. It tolerates no cold below about 10 degrees. In a pot it is easier to protect in cool weather.
