![]() After the plants emerge from the soil, let them grow for a little while You prepare for thinning by planting seeds more densely (meaning closer together) than youĪctually want your plants to grow. Probably want to thin at least some of your vegetables, flowers, and herbs. If, like most gardeners, you want to make sure to have good, full rows of plants, you will To be transplanted into your garden beds once planting season begins. Indoors a few weeks before your last frost, you should have plenty of small seedlings ready Seeds indoors is a great way to get a "jump start" on your garden. This page should be read after reading: Guide to Starting Seeds Indoors Starting your ‘Russian Blue’ is a large plant with purple stems – very attractive to bees and hummingbirds.THIS IS HOW TO "THIN" YOUR SEEDLINGS THE RIGHT WAY ‘Minimum’ has small leaves and a compact form. ‘Dark Opal’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’ have strong flavors and are better for ornamental bedding plants than for eating. ‘Cinnamon’ provides a cinnamon flavor and fragrance. Lemon Basil, Ocimum basilicum ‘Citriodorum’, has a fresh lemon flavor. Sweet Basil is the best known and most commonly available. There are many Basil selections and named varieties. Place the pots indoors over the kitchen sink or in another bright, humid place. Dig small but healthy plants, shake off as much soil as possible and set them in artificial potting soil. For winter use, trim the plants back and pot up 1 or 2 plants. ![]() Finish harvesting Basil before the first frost. If flowers have formed, pinch them off and let them regrow. You can harvest just the leaves but harvesting the sprigs causes branching and more growth. Cut each stem with a sharp knife or scissors, leaving 2 leaves on each stem to develop new shoots. Harvest sprigs as needed but before flowers form. After harvesting, be sure to wash off the soap. Pinch off affected shoots or spray them with insecticidal soap. Pests such as aphids and mites can infest Basil. They need about 1 inch of water per week. Basil plants cannot stand wilting, so be sure to apply water to keep the soil evenly moist. When the plants are 6 inches tall and vigorously growing, pinch out the growing tips to stimulate branching. ![]() Two to six plants are usually more than enough for a family. If you use transplants, set them in the garden on a 12-by-12-inch spacing. Growing from seed may get the plants off to a slower start than you want. For direct seeding, sow seeds in warm soil in hills 12 inches apart, then thin seedlings to 1 plant per hill when the seedlings are big enough to handle. Plant Basil in a full-sun location (8 to 10 hours is plenty) that has well-drained soil. Many times the seedlings in a 3 inch nursery pot can be carefully separated to give you a dozen plants from one purchased pot. Unless you are a real fan of Italian cooking, it is cheaper and easier to set out seedling plants obtained from a garden center or mail-order nursery. After the soil has warmed, move started plants into the garden. Sow seeds indoors under lights about 2 months before the latest date of last frost. At temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it suffers injury that looks similar to frost damage.
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