Planting time for basil begins in May
Temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius 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. The herbal plants grown by hand or bought ready-made can be inserted into the soil as follows:
- the ideal soil is humus, rich in nutrients and freshly moist
- dig a pit with twice the volume of the root ball
- a drainage on the sole prevents damaging waterlogging
- Enrich the excavation with compost, horn shavings (€ 6.39 at Amazon *) and sand
- Fill in a layer of substrate, plant the potted basil and water
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- Fertilize basil properly for best growth and full aroma
- In this location, basil does its best
- What should the soil be like for basil?
Put the young plant exactly as deep into the earth as it was before. A mulch layer made of compost or bark mulch keeps the soil moist and warm for longer. Always water the royal herb when the surface of the earth is dry. Fertilization is applied for the first time at the earliest 4-6 weeks after planting.
Protect basil from the cold outside
In the pot, basil can go out into the fresh air as early as April, provided it is in a protected location on the balcony. During the day, the herbal plant recharges valuable solar heat in order to move inside the house at night. From mid-May, the danger of belated ground frosts has been averted, so that royal herb remains in the tub under the open sky.
Sometimes in a year the sheep's cold strikes in early to mid-June. In this case, protect planted basil with a warming fleece, because temperatures should not drop below 10 degrees Celsius. Because of their proximity to the house, container plants on the balcony are usually not at risk.
Tips: As pretty as the white lip flowers on basil are to look at, they inevitably herald the end of the herb plant. Therefore, pay attention to nasal buds with each harvest and remove them immediately. The reward for this care is an even longer enjoyment of the crisp, fresh spice flakes.
