Detailed instructions: how to grow basil on a windowsill

What materials will be needed

Growing basil is possible not only in a store-bought earthen mixture, but also in ordinary soil taken from the garden. Only in this case it will be necessary to add mineral fertilizers specially designed for vegetable crops to the soil. In order to grow basil in an apartment, you will need the following materials and accessories:

• high-quality soil - a universal mixture is suitable for basil, which is sold in specialized flower shops;

• seeds;

• planting containers - if the subsequent transplanting of seedlings into pots is expected, then small plastic glasses or other unnecessary containers can be used, if the plants will not be transplanted, then the seeds are planted in large containers with holes to remove excess liquid: flower pots, plastic containers;

• drainage;

• basil watering can;

• spray water for spraying plants.

Choosing a basil variety

In nature, there are about two hundred species and varieties of basil, but only a few (no more than ten) of them are popular and are used for food. For growing in pots on a windowsill at home or on a balcony, decorative undersized varieties of basil are better suited:

• Marquis is a small-leaved medium-early variety, a compact, decorative bush, most often of a spherical shape;

• Clove - decorative green variety with a tart taste and aroma of cloves with laurel, forms a spherical bush in a pot;

• Dwarf - a low (10-20 cm) decorative variety with a slightly pungent and spicy taste, a small-leaved, spherical bush, it can be green and purple;

• Lemon is a rather rare variety with light green leaves and a strong lemon aroma;

• Yerevan - a low-growing variety with violet-blue leaves, a spicy taste and aroma of pepper with tea;

• Violet is a large-leaved decorative variety with a delicate taste and purple-violet leaves - an excellent decoration not only for a salad, but also for a windowsill.

You can choose a variety of basil according to the ripening speed. Of the above varieties, the early ones include: Clove, Lemon, Dwarf.

Video "How to grow basil at home"

Video tutorial with useful tips and tricks for planting basil at home.

Soil preparation

If the cultivation of basil at home on a windowsill or balcony will take place in a ready-made universal soil mixture, then no preliminary preparation of the soil is required, since the ready-made mixtures already contain all the necessary fertilizers. The only thing left to do is to place a drainage layer on the bottom of the container, and then fill up the soil.If the soil is taken directly from the garden, then before growing basil on the windowsill, it must be enriched with minerals. The soil intended for planting basil seeds should be light, fertile, with a good permeable structure. Such a soil can be prepared from the following components:

• peat, humus and earth in equal parts - all components of the mixture must be mixed well;

• 2 parts humus and 1 part coconut fibers;

• 1 part of humus, 2 parts of peat - such a substrate must be supplemented with urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate;

• 2 parts soil and 1 part fresh compost.

Some gardeners recommend that the garden soil, taken for planting plants at home, be calcined in the oven for 20 minutes on a metal baking sheet (pallet), and then fill it with complex mineral fertilizers. Growing basil is impossible without drainage - constantly being in moist soil, the plant will hurt and grow poorly. Drainage (expanded clay, small pebbles) can be two-thirds of the total soil volume, but not less than 2-3 cm.

Planting seeds in the ground

The seeds of almost all herbs take a long time to germinate and sprout slowly. This is due to the presence of a dense shell containing essential substances. Therefore, before planting basil seeds, you need to keep them in a warm place for some time (1-2 weeks) - warm them up, then soak them for a day in warm, but not hot water. Basil seeds are planted in moist soil to a depth of no more than 1 cm. Several seeds can be sown in one hole as a safety net - if all germinate, the weakest sprouts will need to be removed. If the seeds are planted in rows in long boxes, the distance between them should be approximately 5 cm.

Care and harvest

To obtain basil seedlings, heat and light are needed, therefore, pots with planted plants should be covered with a film, placed on a windowsill or on a balcony, and make sure that the temperature under the film does not drop below 22-25 degrees. The film needs to be removed for a few minutes every day for airing.

Around the second week after planting the seeds, the first shoots begin to appear. At this time, the film can be gradually removed, and the temperature can be lowered to 20-22 degrees. Basil does not tolerate drafts - this must be taken into account when placing seedling pots on the balcony.

Basil is a very light-loving culture, and without enough heat and light, growing it at home is impossible. But how to grow basil on a windowsill, if the windows of the house face north, and also in winter, when the daylight hours are very short? In this case, you will need additional lighting using special lamps, or other lighting devices. Basil needs at least 15 hours of light daily for normal growth. If such conditions cannot be ensured, it is better to sow the spice not earlier than February.

Further cultivation and care of basil at home consists in regular watering and loosening of the soil. Young plants need to be watered daily in the morning; in extreme heat, you can additionally water in the evening. Water for irrigation should be relatively warm (about 30 ° C). Loosening is carried out 1 time / 2 weeks. With the appearance of side shoots, the plants must be fed with an organic complex mixture.

After a few weeks, the young plant will turn into a fragrant bush from which the first crop can be taken. For food use, it is recommended to pluck the tops of young shoots. So the plant will branch better and will not be able to bloom - a blooming basil bush is unsuitable for consumption.

Plant Details Video

Informational video with useful and detailed plant data.