You know those pots of basil at the grocery store? The ones that look all bushy and full? Yeah, they’re tricking you.
Those lush-looking pots are packed with way too many tiny basil plants crammed into one container. It looks generous, but it’s not sustainable. As eaters, we pick off the big bottom leaves and wonder why the plant shrivels up and dies a week later.
Here’s the truth: one properly cared-for basil plant can give you luscious, generous harvests all summer long. You just have to give it space, nutrition, and a little know-how.
Here are the rules:
🏡A Home and Nutrition
Give it a 2 gallon pot or better and a growing medium mix of:
- Compost
- Pro-Mix Mycorrhizae peat moss (with perlite for drainage)
- Gaia Green 4-4-4 organic fertilizer
- Bone meal (optional but helpful)
- A bit of garden lime (to balance pH)
Basil thrives on nitrogen and well-draining soil. If you’re growing in a pot, refresh with more 4-4-4 every six weeks—just sprinkle and water it in.
💧 Water
Basil likes consistently moist soil—not soaked, not dry. Here’s the rule:
Always water the soil, not the leaves.
Put your finger in the soil. If it’s moist but not wet, you’re doing it right.
Water daily only if needed. The soil should never fully dry out.
☀️ Sunlight
Basil loves the sun. It needs 6–8 hours of sunlight per day.
- Outdoors: Choose a sunny, sheltered spot.
- Indoors: Use a south-facing window or supplement with grow lights.
✂️ Pruning for Bushiness
Most people prune basil wrong. Here’s how to do it right:
- Wait until the plant is at least 6 inches tall.
- Use sharp herb shears or scissors.
- Don’t cut the big bottom leaves. These are the powerhouse of the plant—they absorb the most light and fuel growth.
- Focus on the top of the plant, where basil leaves grow in pairs on either side of a stem, with a new stalk forming in the middle. Locate the tiny new leaves starting to grow at the junction between the stem and the leaf pair.
- Cut the main stem just above those small developing leaves. Be sure to leave those new leaves intact.
Each time you prune this way, those tiny leaves will become new branches. With every correct cut, your plant essentially doubles its growth points. If you prune regularly, you’ll encourage exponential growth and create the kind of bushy, robust plant you actually want.
🌺 Flowers
If your basil starts flowering, pinch them off right away. Flowering makes the leaves bitter. You can still eat the flowers—they’re great in pesto—but don’t let them stay on the plant.
It might sound like a lot, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never go back to those sad supermarket pots again. Happy growing!
