How to sow basil on the windowsill

Mouth watering at the thought of a pesto genovese? Well, now is the perfect time to start sowing basil. Find out how it's guaranteed to succeed here!

For me, there's nothing better in the summer than a fresh tomato salad from the garden. What must not be missing is lots of fresh basil.

Do you feel the same way?

Basil should really not be missing in any household. The spice plant brings that certain something to a whole range of delicious dishes.

But you do not have to buy the plants. Sow and care for basil is quite simple and succeeds wonderfully even as a beginner.

Homegrown basil is much more flavorful. It is more robust against diseases and biologically sound.

Sowing and planting basil - The peculiarities of the plant

The basil plant is a sun-loving southerner. It can never get enough sun. What it does not like at all, however, are temperatures below 12° C.

If the plant gets cold, it completely stops growing. Below 12 ° it begins to lose even the leaves.

That is, be careful when you want to put or place the plant outdoors. It is better to leave it in the warm for a few more days than to put it on the balcony too soon.

Basil loves a sunny and wind-protected spot in your garden or balcony.

The earliest you can put it outside is the end of May, when it is guaranteed not to be below 10 ° C. If you do not pay attention to suitable temperatures, then you should not be surprised, that basil always dies.

What basil seeds you should buy

Have you ever looked around? There are so many delicious basil varieties.

In my garden there are different plants next to each other. These are the most common varieties:

• Purple flowering basil - A visual eye-catcher with a mild flavor.
• Classic Genovese basil
• Thai basil - more elongated leaves and purple stems. Pink flowers. Perfect in Thai curry.
• Dark red basil - very aromatic and delicious for pestos. A real eye-catcher. Hearty and spicy.
• Cinnamon basil - very suitable for herbal tea and seasoning oil. Goes well with desserts, salads and sauces.
• Bush basil grows very gracefully and is perfect for the balcony.

Be brave and buy different varieties. :)

How can I obtain basil seeds?

If you want to sow basil, you should get into the habit of taking a few seeds every year. This way you can reseed and harvest at any time. If you have a lot of seeds, you can also take a very prepare refreshing basil seed drink. 

I always sow more than I need. Bees and many wild bees love the scent of the basil plant.

Once your basil has faded, it will form small, black seeds that you can collect.

Put them on a windowsill to dry. And then store them in a tupperware box or a small bag.

Seeds need to be stored in a dark and dry place. Then you can easily use them for 3 years, they are guaranteed to germinate. Nevertheless, I take fresh seeds every year, of the many varieties that I grow. So I can be quite sure that the germination capacity is given.

Sowing basil with fresh seeds is guaranteed to succeed. The older seeds are, the less sprout.

For all plants that I do not use for bees or seed collection, I remove the buds and flowers as soon as they form. This has the advantage that new leaves are formed as a result.

Tip: If you do not have a suitable place to sow basil on the windowsill, you can also use the aromatic herb propagate with the help of cuttings.

Have you ever grown peppers yourself?

When can you sow basil on the windowsill?

You can plant basil all year round. If you pull it to plant it outdoors, then it is Mid March to early April the right time.

From April, the light conditions are perfect for the little plants. Then, from mid-May, they are strong enough to move outdoors.

If you want to start in February or even earlier, then it often fails because of too little light. If they do grow, then the plants are often weak. They have much too long and thin shoots.

Why? Well, they are desperately looking for a lot of sunlight.

If you still don't want to be dissuaded, then before sowing basil, make sure you have a Greenhouse with artificial light acquire. Ideally, one will also have a heating mat and the possibility of ventilation. Otherwise, your plants will have a very hard time.

The ideal location

As you now know, the plants need a lot of light. You should sow basil on an east-facing windowsill. Here the plants get morning sun.

Initially, they do not tolerate bright sun so well. It makes the seeds dry out quickly - there the herbs are very sensitive!

Later, when the plants are already a few cm high, they can also move to a location where there is more sun - south-facing.

It is important that you do not let them dry out during the germination phase - you must always keep the seeds moist.

Sowing basil on the windowsill: step by step instructions

To give your little plants a good start in life from the beginning, you should do everything right now.

First of all, you need to make sure that you have all the utensils ready. For sowing basil you need

• Seeds
• A pot
• Cling film
• a spray bottle
• Growing soil and a little patience.

Tip: Use a special growing soil. It contains many nutrients and is particularly finely sieved.

1. prepare the seeds

Soak the basil seeds in lukewarm chamomile tea for 2 hours. In this way you can prevent mold growth, and also the seeds germinate faster when they have absorbed liquid.

The good seeds now become noticeably thicker. They form a slimy shell, which turns whitish. Bad seeds float on the surface even after a long time and do not increase in volume.

You can also skip this step, it is not mandatory.

2. prepare the earth

Pro tip: If you've ever tried sowing basil, you're probably familiar with the problem of fungus gnats. Like the little seeds, they love wet, warm soil. So if you're unlucky, in a few days you'll have the little gnats everywhere.

They are not only a huge pain in the ass. Their larvae are also harmful to plants. If you want to know more about them, you should read stop by the post about fungus gnats.

You can prevent the plague by putting the soil in the microwave. Put it in a bowl and heat it for 4 minutes at full power. This will destroy all the eggs of the mosquito.

Let the soil cool down. After that you can proceed with sowing basil.

If the soil contains coarse pieces of wood, stones, etc., then collect these parts. The finer the soil, the more comfortable you make it for the small seedlings.

Alternatively you can Use coconut swelling tablets*. You do not need to disinfect them. Simply pour water over them and they are ready to use. The catch, however, is that they contain fewer nutrients than potting compost.

3. sow the seeds

Fill the soil into a tray, seedling pots or regular pots. Also a Egg carton can serve as a greenhouse.

Spray the soil with water. Caution: Do not soak or make it too wet! Make sure that the first 1-2 cm of the soil is moist - this is ideal.

Put the seeds on the ground.

Basil is a Light sprouts! You may use the seeds do not cover with soil!

Cover the pots with cling film. Or use a propagation house with a plastic lid. For basil seeds to germinate, they need a constant temperature of 20-25° and plenty of light.

The film prevents the soil from drying out too quickly - this happens very quickly when the sun shines on it.

4. wait

Make sure that the seeds are always constantly moist and the temperature remains the same. Remove the foil or lid only to moisten the soil.

Depending on the location and quality of the seeds, you can see the first cotyledons after 5 to 14 days.

You can now remove the lid.

Once the seeds have sprouted, the plants grow very quickly.

On nice warm days you can already put the plants outside. But do not forget to bring them back into the warm in the evening. It must necessarily be more than 12 ° - the more, the better!

Fancy homegrown cucumbers? Here's how to do it!

Can you sow basil directly outdoors?

But why all the effort in the house? Can not you just sow basil in the garden?

Theoretically, yes. But as you know, sowing basil is a balancing act between the right temperature, sun and humidity.

In the evening, even at the end of May in our country is often too cold. The plantlets have no chance to grow big and strong.

If they do make it, then the summer is already as good as over. Which, in turn, means that the basil plant is already too cold again.

But if you have a sunny raised bed that retains heat overnight, it can succeed.

Sow basil in raised bed

• Loosen the soil in the morning in a very warm and sunny place.
• Moisten the soil.
• Sow the seeds at a distance of 20 cm. Note the row spacing of 30 cm.
• Press the seeds lightly with your fingers to prevent them from being blown away by the wind.
• Make sure that the soil does not dry out. You can cover the seeds with a fleece to prevent them from getting too cold. And so that you protect them from the birds.

How to prick the plants correctly?

When you prick the plantlets depends on how much soil they have available. If you have taken small pots, they need to be moved soon.

Can you already see the first cotyledons? If the plants look like the photo above, then they are ready to be singled.

You should not put more than 3 plants per 12 cm pot. Otherwise they will take away each other's water, light and nutrients. Later, before they are completely outdoors, they are transplanted again. The ideal outdoor pot is at least 30 cm in diameter and has a water drain.

How to prick basil

Proceed especially carefully. The plants are very sensitive and can quickly break off!

• Moisten the soil. If necessary: heat the soil in the microwave - this helps against fungus gnats.
• Fill a larger pot with moist soil.
• Carefully remove the plant from the old pot. I first loosen the soil with a dessert fork and then with my fingers.
• Carefully lift the basil into the new pot.
• Lightly press the roots and fill with soil.
• Ready. Now place the pot in a bright place. It takes about 12 hours for the plants to recover from the shock of transplanting.
• After that, they should look fully fit and healthy again.

What you need to pay attention to when putting outdoors

At the end of May, when no more frosts are expected and temperatures do not fall below 10 °, your plant can go outdoors.

Slowly acclimate them to life outside. Take them outside during the day and inside in the evening for about 7 days. You will toughen her up. She will get used to her new home faster and grow better.

Basil can either be planted directly in the garden bed or left in a pot.

For both variants, basil does not like it too dry. But also not too wet feet. You must avoid waterlogging at all costs! Your plant will love you if you do not use ice-cold water, but tempered rainwater.

How to propagate basil infinitely with cuttings!

Increase the yield

To get as many fresh leaves as usual, you need to regularly deseed the plant.

Harvest not only the lateral leaves, but pinch off the "head" of the basil. Already after a short time will form a lot of new leaves on the right and left.

Do not always pluck the leaves from the same plant. You will weaken the basil. Therefore, it is worth having several plants in different locations and alternate.

Leave the large leaves on the plant. Your basil needs the large leaves for photosynthesis. But the small, fresh leaves taste much more aromatic anyway.

From July to October you can now regularly harvest fresh basil leaves. The first harvest starts about 8 weeks after sowing.

By the way: To have more aroma, you should refrain from washing the basil leaves. Unless they are very dirty, then of course you have to use water.

Our conclusion

Sow basil is not an art. Provided that you have the right location. Nice and bright, warm and with moist soil, the seeds germinate particularly quickly. If you want to sow basil on the windowsill, then choose an east- or south-facing location.

Do not forget to treat the soil in advance in the microwave - so you prevent fungus gnats, which love basil seedlings. Keep the soil moist and choose a warm and protected location, then the plants can soon move outdoors.

Now nothing stands in the way of tomato mozzarella with fresh basil.

Good luck and enjoy it.

To browse further:

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• Make your own wild herb salt: this is the best method!
• Make your own willow bark tincture: so simple and so effective!

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