I can't believe I have to google and watch youtube videos to figure how to grow basil in a pot.
I used basil seeds from Italy, oh yeah, baby, but even if they germinated well, they did not strive. Gave it water and love but, no luck. So, yeah, am googling the issue on a saturday afternoon... My grandpa w'd ROFL and ROFL.
If anyone has advice... please share 😃
@artemis What size pot are they in, and how much light do they get? I have some basil in pots and they're doing well. Medium-sized pots (12"-14"), all-purpose potting soil with some homemade compost mixed in, full sun location (at least 6 hours a day). I also got these as seedlings, so that may have made a difference. It's been a while since I've grown it from seed, but they seem to need a lot of sun.
I re-used a pot from a regular grocery basil in a pot ( after I took out the old basil, yes) . So maybe the soil was used up by the first plant ? I did not add any fertilizer etc... am a clueless city girl :-)
It had plenty of light but it was mostly indirect light, so maybe that's something ... I did not expect it to be so fussy :-)
@artemis Here is mine, I’m probably going to transplant to an even bigger pot soon. Basil is bulky and grows best in bigger areas.
@misslovelymess
Good looking :-) Enjoy !
My skinny basil sends greeting ( too shy for a pic) 🤣
@HaikuHedgehog
@artemis This is baby basil. Stick with it, your basil will be a robust plant full of basil goodness. My plant will be ready at sauce making season in September.
Also, when it starts really going, prune the seeded leaves off. Don’t let it go to full seed.
@misslovelymess
Thank you :-)
Perhaps I am too curious and too eager to eat my basil 🤣
OK, ok, I'll give it more time to grow, I water it and I talk to it as if it were a pet 🤣
@misslovelymess
Thank you. Good advice :-)
@artemis The pots they come in at the grocery store are a bit small for them to stay in long-term; they're mostly meant for seedlings until they go home. So a bigger pot would help. You can reuse soil up to a point, but mixing in some fresh potting soil and/or compost or fertilizer will give it a boost. Basil likes direct light, so if you have a sunny window or balcony/patio, that would help.
@HaikuHedgehog Great advice! Thank you 😍
@artemis Also, don't feel bad about looking up how to care for any plant. It's how gardeners learn! I have umpteen reference sites bookmarked, and a couple general-purpose guides I referred to a lot in the beginning. Over time, you'll learn more about the specific plants you're growing, but also general-purpose advice. I consider myself reasonably good with plants now, but I've definitely had my fair share of failures along the way. It's all part of the process....
You are sooo encouraging 😍
I thought I'd just throw in some seeds and Nature will take care 🤣
Perseverance is everything.
@artemis I've done that too- a friend used to call it "Darwinian
gardening". 😄 Throw a bunch of seeds down, and whatever survives, great. I sometimes do that outside if I've got some seeds to use up, and I'm not sure if they're still good (or even what they are...)
Darwinian gardening !! love it, 😍 that's my style 🤣
@artemis Bigger pot, more light. Water daily.
@HaikuHedgehog