Basil tips

Tigerhair · Post: # 17653Post **Tigerhair** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:07 pm

Right, I tried to grow basil before but without any luck! I have a packet of Mr Titchmarsh's organic seeds... any tips please!?

PS I have NO room in my green house, it's SO full of beautiful tiny green plants... and quite a few trays filled with just compost!!

ina · Post: # 17658Post **ina** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:20 pm

I always grow mine on the windowsill. We had a "basil trial" (that was before your time!) - check the old thread... Result: It didn't make a lot of difference whether you covered the seeds with compost or not. They need it warm and sunny. I would just stick a few seeds in a pot, water and let it get on with itself...

You can prick them out and just put one plant in each pot, they get bushier that way. Depends on variety, too.

Tigerhair · Post: # 17659Post **Tigerhair** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:23 pm

Ta - is it true that if you put the mature plants in the greenhouse with your tomatoes, it protects against something (and they are handy together for making pasta sauce too!)?

ina · Post: # 17662Post **ina** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:29 pm

Yes to the pasta sauce - no idea to the other!

alcina · Post: # 17896Post **alcina** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:08 pm

Keep 'em hot and sunny. If you have no room in the greenhouse, then do you have a sunny corner on a patio or something? Of all else fails, a south facing windowsill. They do not like the cold.

They're supposed to keep aphids (I think) off the tomatoes. Or is that marigolds that do that?

Alcina

ina · Post: # 17902Post **ina** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:33 pm

Marigolds seem to be good for all sorts of things - but they don't taste as nice in pasta sauce!

Andy Hamilton · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:30 pm

Yep Basil is a good compainon plant to tomatoes and not just because of the taste it is a good insect repelant.

Tigerhair · Post: # 17920Post **Tigerhair** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 5:50 am

Thanks - I thought so, I'll put some in the greenhouse with my toms this year then...

Millymollymandy · Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:03 am

The best basil for culinary use for me was that in the shade on my kitchen windowsill. The basil outside gets very large and tough in the sun and flowers like crazy and I spend too much time pinching out the buds. I suppose I should just rip it up and sow more. I just wish my holy basil had grown as well as the regular basil did!

alcina · Post: # 17952Post **alcina** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:33 pm

Yours doesn't die outside over winter M3?

It must be much warmer over there than here! Or have I misread and this is yearly sowings?

I guess that Brittany is that bit further south than Blighty and therefore "keeping it hot" for you implies a rather different temperature

Alcina

Millymollymandy · Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:03 am

Yearly sowings Alcina! London has MUCH warmer winter temperatures than Brittany, believe me! And it's not that much warmer here in summer, a few degrees probably on average.

Batfink · Post: # 18011Post **Batfink** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 8:39 am

We've managed to keep ours alive over winter this year - despite snow & heavy frosts... seems pretty resilient. It's planted in a south facing bed - a pretty exposed one at that. Quite bizzare!

alcina · Post: # 18109Post **alcina** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:10 pm

Bloody hell! That must be some basil! Is it the bog standard basil genovese (or something like that) or a special more hardy variety?

Alcina

Mr. Trench · Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:21 am

My basil is always great in the greenhouse - but dies if I try to plant it outside - even in a sunny patch. This year's crops are just germinating now.

For eating, actually this is my summer staple - I have it with sliced toms, a pinch of salt and olive oil at least twice per week. It also goes well in a mixed leaf salad (even corriander can go in there too), and on all pasta and italian style dishes. Just sprinkle a few leaves on top - raw - with the parmasan. Mmmm...