growing basil from seed

[richardedwards]

Morning all...

Two VERY simple question for you on this miserable Saturday...

I planted three basil seeds in each of five small pots. They have now all germinated and are about 2" tall.

- Do i need to "thin out" the seedlings, ie: leave just the best one in each pot?
- At what point do transplant them into larger pots?

Thank you very much

Richard

[hendi_alex]

I don't. In fact I usually sprinkle about 8-10 seeds per cup and never thin, even if all germinate. I just sized up some plants to bigger pots yesterday. Don't know if my method is 'right' or not but works for me. Here is one group of plants that was transplanted yesterday. Has about ten plants in the cluster. Was sized up from about a three inch container to a one gallon pot and will eventually go to a three gallon pot. If the plants ever show signs of crowding, one or more can easily be snipped off at the ground level. Two or three plants would never get crowded if planted in a large enough container.

[rainbowgardener]

everyone has different ways they do things and the thing about gardening is it's pretty forgiving; lots of different ways will work. I plant seeds in the little one inch cells that go in trays (honeycomb style). Since that's a very small space, once the seedlings get the first true leaves, I transplant them to be one per cell. When they get the next one or two pair (more) of true leaves I transplant them to be one per 3 inch pot. Then they just grow til the weather is ready for them to be hardened off and go in the ground. If you are in a cold winter area, the hardening off is the most crucial step and where I lose the most plants.

[hendi_alex]

Last year I tried a new hardening off method that seemed to work really well. In the past, plants were placed in the shade and gradually moved toward the sun, given a wind barrier the first few days if conditions were breezy. Last year the plants were placed where they got early morning sun but the location was chosen such that shade moved over the plants within an hour or two. Each day the plants were move a foot or two futher from the shade area. With that approach, not one plant showed any signs of stress or sun scald.

[JeanneGrunert]

Hi there,

I don't bother to thin the basil. I start my basil plants (Genovese and Cinnamon) in cell packs under fluorescent lights in the basement. Once the danger of frost is past, I just move them out the garden.

I like to plant them around the tomatoes as well as in the herb bed. I've read many articles on companion planting. Basil seems to discourage certain insects. So basil, along with marigolds (keeps the tomato hornworm away) are usually interspersed with the tomatoes.

Enjoy your basil. Next year I hope to try some more varieties.

[jal_ut]

Small pot? If it is a 4 inch pot, I would not thin. If it is a smaller pot I would pot it up to a 4 inch at least. Basil is a delightful plant to grow and can be grown to harvest size right in a pot. Have fun!