What is the trick to growing Basil?

So so luck with them but worth it

I like the tiger toes too . Brandywine is one of my favorites

Well, it looks like one basil plant this year. It's doing fairly well, so I won't complain. Here are the few tomatoes that have ripened so far. They aren't ripening as fast as previous years. Interestingly, the apple tree, that is in a pot is doing the best it ever has in 12 years! Go figure!?

I grow Thai basil also to use in any Asian dishes. nice difference from the Italian basil.

Third crop of seedlings for the year is up- the second crop was sort of a bust; Ibought the seeds from Amazon (last time for that) and the "Large Leafed Italian Basil" turned out to be African Blue Basil- a neat plant,but I don't really like it for cooking. Still have one usable plant from the first crop, though. This will be my last batch this year, though they often keep growing well into November here. Also decided to try a late batch of Zucchini- the young plants are so much more productive, but I'm not sure if I have time.

Pinch and use, pinch back again. Water.

Been following this conversation with interest. Don't know about growing basil in pots, and do know from experience, growing basil in a garden. Basil likes sun, with some shade. Growing it between pepper plants or tomato plants has it thrive. This is a Seattle gardener speaking.

Basil is easy to grow most of the time, but I have to monitor my two plants every day to clip off the short leaves and those pesky flower buds. Once the flowers open and are pollinated the plant will bolt and go to seed, and that's it for your basil plant. Those flowers are quite surreptitious too - you might think you've gotten all of them and then you come back the next morning and more have appeared. Here in the northern Midwest basil needs full sun and really good drainage. Luckily it has been really hot and wet here this July and all of my plants are enjoying it (except my broad beans but they have been in retirement for a while now). I try to use the basil as much as I can, so lots of fresh mozzarella, stonefruit salads, and pizza margherita!

Finally the basil is taking off. I took this photo before removing the flowers and cleaning up the bottom leaves. I think it is now happy. :)

The basil is doing 'so-so' but not giving up. The potatoes, however, are growing like crazy! If you want something fun to grow, I'd highly recommend potatoes. Every St. Patrick's Day, I start two pots. Tradition has it, if you plant potatoes on St. Patrick's Day, they will bring you good fortune ($'s) throughout the year. Plus, you get wonderful, fresh potatoes by July or August! I start them from 'seed' potatoes, but into pieces, cured for a week (meaning I cut pieces that each have 'eyes' and let them sit out on a cookie sheet for a week). Red, purple, white and Fingerlins. Delicious!

Just a reminder- if you got an early start and are already harvesting Basil, it's time to start a second crop- even in warm weather the seedlings will be pretty slow at first. High volume growers often start them 2 weeks or so apart, but for most of us, 3-4 crops in a year is sufficient.

It is probably Fusarium Wilt. I had the same issues also. The seeds can be infected or the soil. Once you repot the next year the new plants can become infected if you use the same soil and pot. Try new soil and a different pot. Some basil varieties are resistant. buy starter plants and ask the nursery if they are resistant. Good Luck

Well, this is what my basil looks like so far. It had been attacked by some sort of critter (I'm thinking slugs) so I placed coffee grounds all around it and then plastic forks. I had never heard of the plastic fork decoy but read about it in a magazine and thought 'why not'? I'll let you know how that works out. I'm not giving up. I have tomatoes on plants already and can't wait to make a Caprese salad with the fresh tomatoes and basil. Only thing is, this basil needs to get going! Haven't started the seeds yet, thought the 1st of June would be safe. The black dots on the plant are the coffee grounds.

i grew basil in Portland for years and the only trick I know is to not set it out too soon. Unless the soil is warm it won't grow it just stands there. My site had both eastern and southern exposure and I probably did not harvest it until late July or early August but was still using it in October. Be persistent.

Basil may be tricky in your Portland climate. In my experience, it does best in hot weather. It also requires well drained soil, as basil doesn't like "wet feet." Both temperature and dampness may be problematic in Portland. The turning black is likely from the cold nights, it's rather delicate that way. Even in Virginia, I have had to replant basil that I started too early outdoors in my eagerness to get my garden started. I also think Thai basil is easier to grow (and more flavorful) than the sweet basil variety. It might be fun to try some different varieties to see what does best for you.

Thank you for all the suggestions. However, I planted the garden three weeks ago and the tomatoes are growing like crazy, so are the potatoes (started those March 17th) and strawberries. But then I look at the basil and it is weak and slowing withering away. I just don't get it. I'll go back to growing it in a pot but even then it doesn't do so great. I just don't get it. I can grow everything big and lush, just not basil. :(

Thank you for all the replies. Ok, today I planted one small Basil plant and also purchased seeds. We'll see what happens!

Black and shriveling sounds like it is getting cold at night. I live in Northeast Ohio, and I don't even think about setting out basil until well into May. My basil does well in mostly sunny conditions with organic fertilizer like Espoma. I've also found that our heavily clay-ey soil needs amending, and that my basil does well when I add crushed eggshells to the surrounding soil. Black and shriveling from the stem up sounds like a water uptake issue--basil has a big root system. Add a layer of pebbles to the bottom of your basil pots for good drainage and root growth, too. Good luck!

This just in; according to Trader Joe's latest "Fearless Flyer", the Greeks and Romans (I sense the bizarre mind of Pythagoras here) believed that in order to grow the best basil, you need to rant and swear when planting the seeds. Got to say, I never thought of that.

Giant pot. Their root system is a bit more extensive than you think. I use pots where once you fill it with dirt, it ain't going anywhere. Lots of morning sun (I find afternoon sun to be too hot). My pot is on the east side of the house. Lots of water--if it didn't rain, water it deeply, like you would tomatoes. So almost daily watering. When watering, no need to get the entire plant wet, just the soil and the roots. Otherwise any water droplet that remains on the leaves will act like magnifying glass when the sun hits it and cause the leaves to burn. The more you use/cut it, the bushier it'll get. Pinch off any flower buds. Hope this helps.

I see that you are in Portland so my guess is that you need a sunnier warmer spot ... Here in Texas I plant early, up under a palm tree to protect them but in your neck of the woods you will need to plant later in the season and in full sun. Also, where I water daily through the summer, you probably only need to water every few days. And all herbs love pruning which is great because that's what we eat, so chop chop chop them!! I am pretty sure Hardlikearmour grows basil so she might have some insight!!!

I grow a lot of basil in my garden in the summer in Maine. In this climate, it (a) wants full sun, sufficient water, and good soil, rich in organic matter. (b)It will simply not grow in cold weather or cold soil (and will not endure weather that approaches freezing). I wait until late May to seed it.(c) It prefers to grow from seed. Starting it a few weeks earlier indoors confers almost no advantage. And (d) the variety matters. The large leaf Genovese variety is easy to grow. Thai basil also grows well, but bolts more quickly if you don't keep the flowers picked. Other varieties (like Spicy Globe) can be fussier, great in one place, not so great in others.

Another companion plant you could start if you're doing tomatoes and basil together is blue borage. It's also a companion to tomatoes and helps keep some nasty pests away.

Thank you for all the responses. I'll report back later this season with the results.

I agree with Kristin. Worm casings work wonders. Also, try mixing vermiculite into your potting soil.

I am not much of a gardener but I had a boss years ago who grew beautiful potted basil plants just outside her workspace and she told me the secret was worm castings. Thought I'd throw that out there in case it helps.

Basil likes full sun. Also you need to pluck the flower buds as soon as they appear or the plant will "bolt" and go to seed rapidly. Top it to encourage bushiness.

There are no real tricks to basil. I can't guess how you get it to turn black and shrivel up- freezing it or spraying it with paint thinner would work, but I'll assume you're not doing that. It is an annual and has a very specific life cycle- it won't grow at all well until the soil warms up- after it's developed 2 sets of leaves it will grow quite quickly in warm weather. After a while it will go into it's flowering cycle- branches will elongate and leaves will get smaller, and then flowers will develop; the flavor is pretty much ruined at this point; I usually grow 3 or 4 crops in a year (I have a long growing season). Flowering can be delayed to some extent by using high nitrogen fertilizer- fish emulsion is probably best for home growers(caveat- the combination of fish and basil smells seems irresistable to some types of flies). Limiting sun exposure, can also delay blooming, but will also reduce the productivity and quality of the herb. It's soil needs are simple. Any good potting soil should work fine- it would take something really egregious to kill the plant- though something with manure included would be best, and of course it needs good drainage. My best guess as to what is happening to your plants is poor drainage, which can kill the plant quickly; the problems you're having just shouldn't occur under anything like normal conditions.

I started my first herb garden 1.5 years ago and what worked for my basil was this:
1. A mixture of organic potting mix and mushroom compost. I'm sure this isn't the prerequisite for basil to grow well but our basil went absolutely crazy with it.
2. We had a tomato plant growing with the basil and because they are companion plants, they helped each other grow.
3. If you are starting with seeds, thin the seedlings out because overcrowded plants don't grow as well.
I hope that helps! :)