I've tried for a few yrs to grow basil from seed or cuttings with no joy
Last year I read a tip that you could root them in water and then plant them up after.
This works wonders! 100% success rate!
So you can buy supermarket plants and trim them before planting the mother in a bigger pot or seed your own variety and take cutting after.
Plant one cutting per pot and it'll grow higher/bushier and with bigger individual basil leaves than a supermarket 10 or so per small pot.
Just one note though.....
I cam home today to find my parrot had decimated my entire windosill of basil cuttings! Arrgh!
No method is foolproof!
