How and when to sow basil outdoors in spring

When to sow basil

Basil is unpretentious, it loves a lot of sunlight, warmth, moisture and loose light soil. You can grow it on a windowsill, in a greenhouse, or even on a vegetable garden. In the open ground, it will grow comfortably when the threat of frost has passed and warm weather is established. In the middle lane, such conditions will be created no earlier than June, which means that this is the time that is the best to sow basil. Only the leaves will not have to feast on until August. A more profitable option would be to grow seedlings at home in the spring, and in the summer to plant already strong plants in open ground.

It will take at least 2 months to grow seedlings. If the soil warms up, and the heat has finally established itself in the country by the beginning of June, it means that you can sow seeds in early April. On the windowsill, the plants will have enough light already in March, at this time you can sow if planting in the garden is not expected.

There are many varieties and varieties of basil, seeds can be selected without any problems in specialized stores. The most common varieties in our country are: lemon, Mexican, anise, purple. They differ in shades of taste and appearance. So, purple leaves are not green, but red-purple, it is used by Caucasian cuisine. Aniseed basil leaves have a greenish-silvery color, it is characterized by a pronounced aniseed aroma, it is used most often in Thai dishes. Lemon - According to the name, it smells like lemon, it is added when fish is cooked. Mexican has a smell reminiscent of cinnamon, it has dark purple leaves.

All basil seeds have an ethereal shell (like the seeds of other spicy plants), it is this shell that makes it difficult for them to germinate. But they do not need to be soaked, as is done with vegetable seeds, it is enough just to heat them. Experts advise keeping them in a warm place with a temperature of +30 degrees for a couple of weeks before sowing. Resourceful summer residents came up with the idea of ​​warming seeds near a steam heating battery, for this you can put the seeds in a bag made of natural fabric and tie them to the battery. When the pots and earthen mixture are prepared, you can hold the seeds in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours, with the same solution some experts advise to water the soil before sowing - disinfection of the soil will not interfere with young roots.

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How to care for seedlings

For growing seedlings, you can take shallow containers - 10 cm will be enough. The soil should be nutritious, but light, breathable, so it is best to mix equal parts of garden soil, peat, compost and sand. If you have good compost, you can do without garden soil altogether and add more compost.The prepared soil must be put in a pot on a drainage layer of expanded clay or pebbles, poured with a solution of potassium permanganate or just hot water, then you can sow seeds. From above, they should be covered with 1 cm of earth.

To keep warm, the pot is covered with glass or cling film. In such an impromptu greenhouse, seedlings will appear in 7-10 days. The film must be removed immediately, the temperature must be kept at least 20 degrees. If it is very warm, the bores will be too long. It is better to water it with warm water.

When the plants grow 2 real leaves, it's time to dive. Most people instead simply transplant into other (preferably disposable) containers, gently prying the seedlings up with a small spatula or flat stick. You can plant them in the same soil, or you can add a little ash to it. The soil must be poured, lightly tamped, made a hole, placed a plant in it, sprinkled with earth and pressed lightly so that it is kept in an upright position. It is advisable to immediately pour warm water, but carefully, not getting on the plants themselves - they are painfully weak and vulnerable until they grow up.

After a week, it is advisable to water the seedlings with mineral fertilizer dissolved in water. When the seedlings are on the window, you need to make sure that the plants do not shade each other, so that everyone has enough light, watering should be moderate - if you give too much water, a black leg may appear.

Two weeks before the time for planting in the ground comes, the seedlings should be taken out daily for hardening. First, it is taken out for 1-2 hours, in the warmest sun, then this time is increased. This hardening will help the seedlings adapt faster in the garden. When the soil outside warms up to 15–20 degrees, you can plant basil in the garden bed, pinching the top to stimulate the side shoots.

We grow basil in the country

You need to plant basil in a bright place where he can enjoy the sun all day. The garden bed is prepared in advance, keeping in mind that the soil should be nutritious, but loose. Well, if the soil is light, then it is enough to add compost or other fertilizers, loosen it up and you can place the seedlings in the place of their constant growth. But if the soil is heavy, you will have to add peat, compost, sand, ash, then dig it up again to make it lighter and more breathable. Good soil preparation is considered to be the introduction of 1 bucket of humus and 1 liter jar of ash per square meter.

Plants need to be planted infrequently - in rows where there will be at least 30 cm between the plants, and 40 cm between the rows. It is advisable to water between the rows until the plants get stronger, they can be damaged by a stream of water. It will be correct to plant basil after legumes, potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes. It will be possible to plant it in the same place only after 10 years. Usually, seedlings take root well and grow into large voluminous bushes 50–70 cm high. Basil can be planted in different parts of the garden so that its spicy aroma drives away harmful insects.

Correct care

Basil care consists of weeding, loosening the soil and watering. Watering should be moderate but sufficient. Since they planted it for the sake of the leaves, you should not let it bloom. As soon as buds appear on the plant, they need to be cut off with scissors so that the forces are not spent on flowering, but go to the formation of new leaves. If the owner wants to get his seeds, then it is worth letting 1-2 plants to bloom and then collecting ripe seeds.

During the summer, you can pluck the leaves and use fresh ones. For the winter, the shoots are dried, for this a stem with leaves is cut off, but you need to leave a stem with 5 leaves from the root so that the plant continues to grow and form new branches. The plucked branches should be properly dried in a ventilated area, hanging them by the stalk. In the fall, all plants are cut to the root and dried.If you want to keep fresh basil, you can carefully dig it out with a lump of earth so as not to disturb the roots, transfer it to a pot (just don't forget about drainage), and the plant may well grow new leaves in the room. Only he needs a full day of light, at least 10 hours, and in winter there is little natural light. You can cut off one branch, hold it in water for rooting and plant in a pot - in summer the plant can grow in a room and drive away flies and mosquitoes.

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