The aroma of fresh basil from our own cultivation cannot be topped. The herbal plant develops its best outdoors in the fresh air, caressed by the warm rays of the sun. Here we will tell you how to properly plant the basil in the open air.
Basil planting season begins in May
Temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius (60F) do not do justice to the sunny disposition of basil. Only when the ice saints have said goodbye in mid-May does the royal herb move outside. An ideal location is sunny, warm, and sheltered. Put the herb plant that you have picked up yourself or that you bought ready-made into the ground like this :
- the ideal soil is humus, rich in nutrients and freshly moist
- dig a pit twice the volume of the root ball
- drainage on the sole prevents harmful waterlogging
- enrich the excavation with compost, horn shavings, and sand
- fill in a layer of substrate, plant, and water the potted basil
Place the young plant exactly as deep in the ground as it was previously. A mulch layer made of compost or bark mulch keeps the soil moist and warm for longer. Water the royal herb whenever the soil surface has dried. The first fertilizer is applied 4-6 weeks after planting at the earliest.
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Protect basil from the cold outside
In the pot, basil can go outside in the fresh air from April, provided it is in a sheltered location on the balcony. During the day, the herbal plant soaks up valuable heat from the sun in order to move indoors at night. From mid-May, the danger of delayed ground frosts is averted, so that basil stays outdoors in the bucket all the time.
Sometimes the cold strikes in early to mid-June. In this case, protect the basil you have planted out with a warming garden fleece because the temperatures should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius (50F). Potted plants on the balcony are usually not endangered due to their proximity to the house.
Tips
As pretty as the white-lipped flowers on basil are to look at, they inevitably herald the end of the herb plant. So watch out for buds every time you harvest and remove them immediately. The reward for this care is an even longer enjoyment of the crispy fresh spice leaves.
