For:
By: Daniel E. Mullins
Extension Horticulture Agent
Try This Herb for in the Flower or
Basil is one of the most versatile herbs. It can be used as an ornamental, for fresh cut flowers and for its ability to enhance culinary creations. It has a rich, spicy flavor with a hint of clove and mint.
Basil is an annual herb belonging to the mint family. Like other members of the family, it has square hairy stems. There are over forty varieties, with sweet basil being the most well known and commonly grown.
Several of the basils bring fragrance to the garden and are known as the scented leaf basils. These include lemon basil, Holy basil, cinnamon basil and anise basil.
It is no wonder that basil has become increasingly popular with gardeners over the past few years. Among its many other attributes, it is easy to grow. It can be established by seeding directly in the garden and landscape or by starting plants indoors. Bedding plants of basil are also found at local nurseries and garden centers during the spring.
Though easy to start, remember that basil is a warm season annual, preferring soil and air temperatures above seventy degrees F. There is no advantage to seeding or transplanting in early March. Wait a few weeks and you will be rewarded with faster establishment and growth.
Basils grow best in an area that receives lots of sun and they prefer a rich, well drained soil. In the landscape, space them about twelve inches apart and when direct seeded in garden rows, thin plants to a spacing of four inches.
Maintain a two to three inch layer of mulch on the soil surface beneath basil plants. Mulch helps in maintaining a more consistent optimum soil moisture level, which is important.
Fertilize conservatively because high levels of nutrients in the soil can decrease the concentration of fragrant oils. Prune every few weeks to encourage dense healthy plants. Remove flower buds as soon as they form if plants are being grown primarily for leaf production. If being grown as an ornamental, allow them to bloom.
There are several methods for preserving basil. It can be dried by harvesting in early morning after the dew has dried and before high temperatures occur. Leave enough foliage on the plant so that it can continue healthy growth. Tie the basil in small bunches and hang them upside down in a dry, dark and well ventilated room.
Basil can also be preserved for a short time by freezing it in ice cubes. Fresh leaves can also be placed in vinegar or oil. Vinegar preserves this herb’s flavor for months.
Question of the Week: What is the last frost date for this area?
Answer: Different people
will give different answers to this question and there are several reasons
why. It depends upon whether you live
along the coast, in the central part or the northern part of one of our
northern
A more practical answer is as follows: Gardeners who are gamblers plant early gardens and spring flowers about the first of March. Most gardeners plant during mid-March, though there is an approximately fifty percent chance of experiencing a frost or freeze after this date. The non-gambling gardeners wait until late March or early April for spring planting.
Note: Anyone reading this
article that does not live in the USDA Hardiness Zone 8b should ignore this
rambling answer regarding last frost dates.
This information does not apply to gardeners who reside downstate in