Growing Basil

[briggsy2011]

Hi
Just wondering about my basil plants. I have grown them from seed on 16th april. The are about one and half inches high with 3 leaves, but they have been like that for ages now. The look nice and green and healthy. Does basil take ages to grow?
They have been grown inside and then moved to a blowaway greenhouse, and then moved it my new greenhouse.
Can anyone advise or send me link with info?
Also when should you harvest dill.

thanks again
louise

[rustylady]

Louise, I'm the last one to be able to help with Basil I'm afraid - I know the rules but it just won't grow for me.

[Shadylane]

Yes it takes ages. At least up here it does. It's a big softie is basil, likes it warm and sunny which, round here we get for around 2 weeks - usually in April or May . You could try giving it a little feed with some nettle tea to spur it on. If you pinch out the tips (when it's a bit bigger) it will bush out though.

[Jardiniere]

It takes ages down here too. Be patient. I'm growing lemon basil for the first time ...the plants are tiny but i'm eating the thinnings.
My dill is being very slow too...again i'll eat the thinnings. It will go to seed very quickly.

[Bren In Pots]

. If you pinch out the tips (when it's a bit bigger) it will bush out though.

Then put those tips in a glass of water and in a few days they will root and you'll have a new plant.

[taff]

they need heat, so if it's warmer in your house on the windowsill than it is in your greenhouse, they'll grow more there
pinch out the tips at about 6-10 inches to encourage them to bush rather than grow tall.

[rana]

I bought one of those 99p supermarket herb pots of greek basil about a month ago. Split it into 4 and potted up. I still have three healthy thriving pots of the stuff. So much easier than faffing about with seeds and slow growing seedlings.

[briggsy2011]

thanks for your advise guys - we are due for really good weather down here from sunday so that will heat up the greenhouse nicely x

[endymion]

We don't seem to be able to get Basil to either germinate or grow, even those supermarket pots of the stuff curl up their toes when they see our garden!

- we are due for really good weather down here from sunday so that will heat up the greenhouse nicely x

Do you reckon they're right?

[cupcake]

I always find basil slow in it's early stages, then all of a sudden it puts a spurt on and you'r pinching out the flowers on a daily basis.

[abby]

If you buy supermarket pot make sure you feed water from the bowl you keep it in they hate to be watered from the top of the soil, as I have found from past experience .

[BroadRipple]

Louise, mine are the same, microscopic...and it's hard to pinch out when they're ALL tips. I very very carefully removed about 1 teeny leaf from each, which has made no difference at all.
Speaking of basil, anyone else used either the Nicky's Nursery or Franchi mixed basil seeds?

[elleme]

I never had much luck with growing basil until I started growing it indoors on a windowsill. It might depend on the cultivar too. I'm growing lettuce-leaved basil these days and it's pretty vigorous. I bought the seeds in Sicily but the packets look similar to Franchi so I'd try those when I run out.

[Florence Fennel]

I've had better success this year by watering from the bottom. I'm hoping to get lots more when they're big enough to pinch out.

[Green Wolf]

Grown basil with limited success, but I've found red basil much easier. The leaves and taste are a little bit coarser but it will happily grow with virtually no "help" from me and is much better outside than the green types.