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HerbsTenderAnnual
Basil
Basil is a tender aromatic herb grown for soft highly fragrant leaves used fresh in pesto, salads, pasta and many summer dishes. It is one of the defining herbs of warm weather growing, thriving in pots, greenhouses and bright sheltered outdoor spots.
Basic information
Category
Herbs
Lifecycle
Annual
Hardiness
Tender
Planting partners
5 companions · 0 crops to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
60 days
Germination window
5–10 days
Germination temperature
20–25 °C
Plant spacing
30 cm
Row spacing
40 cm
Sowing depth
0.5 cm
Height
45 cm
Spread
30 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Care tips
Keep basil warm at all times, because cold nights and draughts can check or blacken growth very quickly. Pinch out tips regularly to keep plants bushy and delay flowering, and harvest little and often rather than stripping whole stems at once.
Common pests
Slugs, snails, aphids, fungal disease in humid still air.
Don’t grow with
No crops to avoid have been added yet.