Grow Basil Indoors

Basil is a popular, fragrant herb with a variety of culinary uses. It grows easily in outdoor gardens, and with a few minor alterations, you can grow basil indoors without much hassle, as well. Sufficient amounts of sun and water are the key ingredients in getting your basil to thrive no matter where you plant it.

Steps

Preparation

  1. Purchase a coarse soil from a gardening store. Basil does best in soil that drains well. Soil from your garden or other dense soils may not provide adequate drainage, which can cause the roots of your plant to rot.
  2. Select a pot that offers sufficient drainage. The pot can be made of clay, plastic, stone, or concrete, but it should have drainage holes in the bottom regardless of the material.
  3. Sterilize your container. Soak the pot in a solution made from water and a mild cleanser. Scrub, and rinse well.
  4. Buy basil seeds. Basil seedlings are fragile and damage easily during the transplanting process. As a result, many gardeners prefer to start the plant from seed.

Planting

  1. Fill 3/4 of your container with soil. Allow the soil to remain loose; do not pack it into the container tightly. Tightly packed soil will make it difficult for your basil to take root
  2. Moisten the soil. Do not over-saturate it, but add enough water to make the soil mildly damp.
  3. Sow your seeds.
    • Sow a few seeds an inch or two (2.5 to 5 centimeters) apart if using a round container.
    • Scatter seeds along the length of the container if using a long window box. If using this method, you must thin your basil out once seedlings sprout and reach an inch or two (2.5 to 5 centimeters) in height.
  4. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch (6 1/3 millimeters) of fine soil or compost. Do not pack the soil down.
  5. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Germination should occur within a week.
  6. Thin your plants out once the seedlings have two pairs of leaves. The plants should be 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) apart to ensure adequate room for growth. You can either thin them out by snipping the basil off at soil level or by removing the basil by the root. Since snipping the basil off does not disturb any roots, it is the recommended method if you plan to discard what you remove. If you want to make use of every seedling, however, remove them at the root and transplant them.
    • Use your fingers or a wooden popsicle stick or tongue depressor to carefully dig the soil away from the base of a seedling.
    • Slide the tongue depressor under the developing roots or carefully "wiggle" the seedling, roots and all, out of the soil with your fingers after it is exposed.
    • Replant the removed seedling in another pot or in the same pot 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) away from any other seedling.

Daily Care

  1. Set the container near a sunny window. A south-facing window typically works best. Basil thrives in full sun but needs at least six hours of sunlight a day to grow properly.
  2. Supplement with artificial light. If you cannot provide enough natural sunlight for your basil, use fluorescent grow lights or specially designed high-intensity lights instead. Basil plants receiving no natural light should receive 10 to 12 hours of artificial light.
    • Keep standard fluorescent lights a couple of inches (5 centimeters) away from the tops of your plants, and keep high output and compact fluorescent lamps 1 foot (1 yard) above the plants.
    • High-intensity lights should be two to four feet (61 to 122 centimeters) above plants.
  3. Simulate a natural habitat by running a fan. Direct an electric fan toward the plant, allowing it to rustle the leaves for at least two hours a day. Doing this prevents the air around the plant from getting too stagnant.
  4. Check the plant's pH levels once a month. A good pH level is usually between 6.0 and 7.5. Maintain this pH with an organic fertilizer. Since basil is primarily used for culinary purposes, many non-organic fertilizers may pose a potential risk.
  5. Keep the soil moist, but not soaked. Test the dampness by sticking your finger into the soil about an inch (2.5 centimeters) deep. If the soil feels dry even at this depth, lightly water the plant.
  6. Pinch off the tops of the basil once the seedlings reach six inches (15 centimeters) in height. Pinching the tops off will encourage better leaf growth and will prevent your basil from becoming "leggy."

Harvesting

  1. Cut single leaves for quick, immediate use. Single leaves can be cut at any time without causing damage to the plant.
  2. Cut whole stems above a pair of leaves. Doing so allows new growth to continue, which will preserve your basil plant for a longer stretch of time. Cutting stems just below a pair of leaves may prevent the stem from growing further.
  3. Harvest stems from mature plants weekly. Frequent harvesting encourages greater leaf growth.



Tips

  • Freeze your excess basil. If you end up harvesting more basil than you can use, wash it, dry it, and store it in a freezer bag.
  • Alternatively, you can save your excess basil by drying it. Cut off stems and tie 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) bunches together with string. Hang the bunches upside-down from the string and allow them to dry naturally in a location that is cool, dry, and dark.

Things You'll Need

  • Coarse soil
  • Pot or container
  • Basil seeds
  • Shears or Scissors
  • Wooden tongue depressor
  • Artificial lighting
  • Electric fan
  • Test strips for pH testing
  • Organic fertilizer

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Sources and Citations

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