Basil

Katie-Kat-Kins

Hi there everyone!

I don't often come on this section of the board as I am far from greenfingered! My DH does all of the garden and I am happy to leave him to it.

But as a money saving thing I have been trying to grow our own herbs for cooking with. The Rosemary is going well, the oregano is growing faster than we can use it and the thyme and sage aren't doing too badly either. The Mint is recovering from a slug attack.

We have had no luck growing our own coriander but I understand that this can be tricky so I'm happy to buy fresh when on offer and freeze it.

The thing that is really annoying is Basil, we use loads of it so it would be great to grow our own, it smells lovely too so it is nice to have some oin the house.

First we bought a fresh pot from the supermarket re-potted it and used that, it lived a while and then seemed to get infested with something that made it feel sticky. The same thing happened with the next one. We then grew some from seed and seemed ok for ages but this week that had also gone stocky and DH has thrown it away.

Can anyone tell me what this is and what causes it? More importantly how do I prevent it and what should I do to ensure a long lasting crop of tasty basil? I grow it on the kitchen window sill at the moment which is fairly sunny.

Feel free to treat me as a complete gardening numpty!

Thanks

Kat

valk_scot

Sticky with tiny green insects on it by any chance? If so it's got aphids.

Best thing to do is grow it somewhere sunny but with good ventilation, or pop it out on the doorstep on fine days. Keeping it too dry will also stress it and make it vunerable to aphid attack. Best place to grow it (and other herbs, actually) is in the ground in a sunny spot outside, or in very large pots outside. B&Q builders buckets are good, with drainage holes punched in them. You'll need to put a cloche or fleece over the basil while it germninates and gets going, but after that it should be okay.

dogstarheaven

mine grows best in my plastic walk-in greenhouse (wilko's might have one for half-price now as their gardening sale is on atm) as it prefers the high humidity. originally, i had mine growing outside, but was always getting eaten by the snails. i didn't have aphids on them, but other vulnerable plants did tho'. i did put some shop bought ones out in big planters and they're doing well now. i don't know whether it's in a more sheltered east-facing position that they're just less stressed if they were in full sun all the time...

Charco_2

My basil sits just peeking round the corner of the window in my kitchen and gets a bit of water just when the leaves start to droop. seems happy enough but i really dont use enough of it in cooking

Katie-Kat-Kins

valk_scot wrote: »

Sticky with tiny green insects on it by any chance? If so it's got aphids.

Yeah I think so.....

Kept it well watered, it was by the sink so easy to chuck a glass of water on it every now and then. The window is reasonably sunny but by no means full sun all day. It would have been as well ventilated there as anywhere, and sunnier than putting it in the garden.

So what should I do when I get a new plant????

Also any tips about how to trim it to use the leaves and stalks without killing it?

buxtonrabbitgreen

I bought a pot of living Basil. Well it wasn't living for long. By the next day leaves had started to fall off and it was looking very limp. So I replanted it in a pot in the garden. It is doing fine there. You do have to keep it damp all the time.

Davesnave

Basil is tricky, especially the spoon-shape leaved ones, which are just made for white and greenfly to hide under. They don't like exposure to the elements, but if you plant them indoors, insects quickly attack.

I find the easiest basil to grow is the small-leaved variety, O.basilcum minimum, or other small ones, like Greek Basil, which make small self-supporting bushes.

Lotus-eater

The easiest way to grow basil I have found is to grow it in a greenhouse full of tomatoes and french marigolds, either in pots (which I find easier) or in the border soil.
If you can't do that, the exposure to external weather is appreciated by it on nice days, it also allows the predators to get at the bugs on the plant, especially if you put the plants next to predator attracting flowers.

You can also spray with soft soap if you have any, or a couple of drops of eco washing up liquid in a spray can full with water.

Katie-Kat-Kins

Well we've definitely no room in the garden for a greenhouse, even a very tiny one. The choice really is a pot on a shady patio or a pot on the window sill in the sun.

I will try spraying with mild soapy water though. When you say soft soap, is this normal hand soap or something special?

Have always kept the soil moist for it, and this is easier to keep an eye on if it is indoors.

I might try a pot indoors and a pot outdoors......... and see which survives. That might mean that we get enough for cooking without decimating the plant.

Lotus-eater

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&q=soft+soap+aphids&meta=cr%3DcountryUK|countryGB&fp=d201e90ebf28d963

Basil doesn't like cold weather, so leave the outside sowing until next spring now.

elsien

I've given up on trying to grow any herbs on my windowsill - no matter how well I clean, the white fly land in swarms overnight. Trying pots outside at the moment, and they've been surprisingly pest free.