How to grow basil on the windowsill

Many today are seeking to create a spicy garden on the windowsill. It is both a hobby, a decorative element of the kitchen, and a constant source of fresh greenery for food. Basil is wonderful for this purpose, but you need to know that this overseas guest is very picky.

Varieties of basil for growing on the windowsill

In general, in order to organize a basil vegetable garden on the windowsill, any variety will be suitable, but it is preferable to choose low-growing and tuft-shaped.

• Vanilla aroma is a medium early variety (50-60 days from germination to edible greens), the leaves are dark purple with a vanilla scent.
• Basilisk - an early ripe grade (46-50 days), suitable for pot culture. The plant is green, compact, 18-20 cm tall. It has a clove-pepper aroma.
• Clove fragrance is an ornamental plant with small green leaves and clove odor.
• Anise gourmet - mid-season variety (60 days), a rounded green plant with small ovoid leaves and aniseed aroma.
• Mint gourmet - early ripe variety (45-50 days), with abundant dark green glossy leaves and menthol aroma.
• Marquis - mid-season variety (65 days) for pot culture. The leaves are oval with rare teeth, green, the smell is clove-pepper.
• Compatto is a mid-season variety (60 days) with a height of 20-30 cm, leaves are small and green, with pepper aroma.
• Freshness - mid-season green variety (55-60 days) with lemon flavor.

Soil selection

Basil loves light, fertile, well-drained soil. For growing basil in a pot, it is easier to buy ready-made soil in a specialty store, but ordinary garden soil is also suitable if it is enriched with mineral fertilizers. Purchased or garden soil before planting should be calcined in the oven at a temperature of 100-120 ° for an hour to prevent the occurrence of pests. It is possible to independently prepare a substrate from one part of humus and two parts of peat or coconut fiber, it must also be watered with liquid mineral fertilizers.

Capacity for growing basil

For growing basil at home, a pot with a depth of at least 20-30 cm or an oblong flower box will do. It is necessary to take into account that in the future the sprout will turn into a bush, and there should be enough space for it. Seeds are planted either in the main pot, or in small containers (cups), from where sprouts are transplanted when 2-3 leaves appear.

At the bottom of the pot or box must lay out the drainage layer of expanded clay, pebbles or broken bricks with a thickness of 2 cm.

Presowing seed preparation

The optimal time for sowing seeds - the beginning of March. To accelerate the emergence of seedlings of basil seeds before growing it is recommended to soak for a day in a gauze moistened with growth stimulant or simply in warm water. You need to change the water every 12 hours or earlier. Seed disinfection is carried out by two-hour soaking in a manganese solution. Dry the seeds with a paper napkin.

Sowing Basil Seeds

The soil must first be well moistened. Sowing basil is done at a depth of 1 cm. Between seeds, it is recommended to leave a distance of about 7 cm. The container is covered with a film and left in a warm place until the first shoots appear.

Conditions for germinating seeds

The optimum temperature for germination is 20-25 ° C. The film must be periodically opened for ventilation and easy spraying. Seedlings do not need watering. In such conditions, seedlings appear in about 10 days. When the seedlings grow to 5-7 cm, you can add another 2-3 cm of soil to the pot to strengthen the young shoots.

Rules care for basil at home

Temperature. Basil feels good at a temperature of + 16-25 ° C, does not tolerate drafts and low temperatures. On cold days, basil containers can be wrapped in plastic.

Shine. In the warm season, the basilica has enough natural light, but in the autumn and winter it will need artificial lighting up.

Watering. Basil loves moderate moisture. Water the plant with distilled water should be every day, it is better to do it in the morning. In the summer heat, watering is done even in the evening; spraying with room-temperature water from a spray bottle will not interfere either. Loosening the soil. It is time to start this process when the basil sprouts are strengthened and grow by about 5 cm. Once every few days, you need to loosen the soil around the plants so that it can be enriched with oxygen. For plants grown indoors, this is an important factor.

Top dressing. For feeding basil suitable universal fertilizer with humus, which is used for indoor plants. Once a month you can add 1 tsp. Fertilizer "Agrolife" on the ground surface.

Harvesting

The first green basil can be cut in a month and a half. The upper leaves are carefully cut off, leaving at least three. When the basil appears three tiers of leaves, pinch the top, cutting off the top of the stem. This manipulation restricts growth, the plant begins to thrive abundantly, forming lush foliage. But some recommend not to do it, so as not to harm the plant.

After cutting, basil leaves grow back quickly, then it is advisable to feed.

Dried basil for the winter is very simple: you need to lay out the leaves in a thin layer in a ventilated place, where there is no direct sunlight. Dried leaves have a characteristic smell and taste, they can be crushed into powder. Spice is kept in hermetically sealed glass jar for several years.

Another way to grow basil in the house: basil from cuttings

In addition to growing basil from seeds, there is another way - grafting. Propagation of basil in this way is easy: the top of a plant or a young shoot of 7-10 cm in length is placed in a container with water before the formation of roots.Next we plant the stalk in the pot and after a few weeks we can already cut the first greens.

If you follow certain rules, basil on the windowsill will delight you with fresh greenery and decorative appearance all year round.