How to grow basil indoors

how-to-grow-basil-indoors
As with most other herbs, it is very easy to grow basil in your home. 
In the article below you will see just exactly how to grow basil indoors so that you can add this incredible, fragrant herb to your indoor garden. 
As with most other herbs Basil is a very good plant for beginners to grow as there is a lot of flexibility with the conditions that you are required to provide in order for the plant to grow and, as you are only growing the plant for the use of its leaves, there is no need to worry about pollination and harvesting of flowers and fruit, etc.

Information on how to grow basil indoors in your home:

  • Choosing & Planting the seeds- What you need to know about which seeds you should pick for the best crop.
Unlike most vegetables and fruit, which require careful consideration as to which variety to plant - basil like with most herbs does not. 
The same basic principles apply to all varieties of basil, however 'sweet basil' is the most popular and is used widely in Italian cooking.
Seeds should be planted in a fairly large pot around 6 inches ideally with some gravel or broken clay pot on the bottom to act as drainage. 
 Seeds should be planted about 1/2 inch deep.  Basil seeds usually germinate after about a week or so and should grow to around 1.5 - 2 feet in height.
  • Light & Temperature - How to provide the correct environment for your plants to ensure growth.
Basil plants will thrive at room temperature and like a humid environment, which they can create themselves to a certain extent, especially when surrounded by other similar plants. 
 You will need to provide plenty of light for your basil plants. Natural sunlight is preferable and they usually need around 6 or more hours of direct sunlight where possible.
 If you cannot provide sunlight, compensate with fluorescent lighting for around 12 hours a day.

  • Watering – Watering techniques specifically for basil.
It is very easy to over water basil. Make sure that you do not water more than once a week and ensure that the first inch or so of soil is dry before giving the roots a good watering so that it soaks all of the soil and runs out the bottom of the plant pot. 
Keep the plant pot on a tray and drain off any excess water. 

 Note - As an added extra, you can also mist the leaves to create more humidity for the plant. Just use a room temperature water spray and cover the leaves either in the morning or in the evening.

  • Feeding & Nutrition – How to make sure that your plants get all the nutrients that they need in order to survive and produce juicy leaves!
As a general rule, most herbs should be fed sparingly as most will grow too quickly to exhaust the nutrients in the soil. 
The same goes for basil and you should only feed once or twice a month with a diluted nitrogen based plant food.

  • Pollination –How to ensure that your plants are productive in their indoor environment.
As you are most likely growing basil for the leaves then it is unnecessary to pollinate any flowers on the plant. In fact, you should pull the purple flower buds off the plant before they get a chance to open. 
These will usually show about 90 days after planting the seeds.

  • Harvesting – How to collect your fruit safely and how to maximise crop growth for the future.
Around 40 days after planting, you will be able to take a few leaves from the plant to use in the kitchen.
After pinching the flowers off the plant (mentioned above) then you can harvest the rest of the plant by cutting the main stem about 6 inches from the soil.
If this base is left to grow and given the sufficient nutrients, water and light then it will grow new branches and leaves which will provide further harvests in the future.

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