The basil It is an aromatic herb that provides delicious aroma and characteristic flavor to the dishes. Who hasn’t improved a pasta dish or pizza with it? But its benefits go much further. Has medicinal properties which you can use to relieve digestive discomfort, as a diuretic, to calm migraines or to strengthen hair, among others.

Furthermore, it has the advantage that you can easily grow it at homewhether in the garden on the terrace or in a pot on the windowsill, so that your dishes are never short of fresh basil. What are you waiting for plant your basil?

Basil Plant

The basil (Ocimum basilicum)although it is closely linked to Mediterranean cuisine, it is originally from India and other tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Africa and has been cultivated for thousands of years.

It came to Europe from the Greeks, but as happens with many words that begin with to the-its name in Spanish comes from Arabic, specifically from the particle al- (the or the) and the word habaqathe name given to aromatic or medicinal plants.

It is a plant with large green oval leaveswith smooth or slightly serrated edges (depending on the variety). It has small flowers that are born in clusters and their color varies from white to pink.

There are different varietieseach with a characteristic flavor, aroma and properties: sweet basil, Thai basil, lemon basil, holy basil…

How to plant basil

You can find the basil in pots at most floristsbut you can also easily plant it yourself.

1. Can sow it in a pot or seedbed or directly in the groundwhich should be fertile, with good drainage and a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
2. sow the seeds no more than half a centimeter deepso that it does not cost them to germinate.
3. Next, water very abundantlyand thereafter, every four or five days or whenever you see that the surface of the earth is dry. The seeds should germinate within 5 to 7 days.

After approximately a month, when the plants are already a good size, It is advisable to transplant them into individual pots. (or in the ground separately) so that each of the plants can grow and develop well.

You can also plant basil from seedlingswhich you will find in most nurseries. If you plant various plants in the ground, leave a separation of about 30 centimeters between them so that they grow well.

What is the season for basil?

Basil does not tolerate frostwhich should be cultivated after March, late spring or early summeronce temperatures are consistently above 15°C.

basil care: what does it need to grow well?

When giving basil the care it needs, keep in mind that:

• Basil likes to be half shadowalthough prefers long periods of sun (about 6 hours a day). Ideally, the daytime temperature should be up to 25°C. Drafts and, above all, frost must be avoided.
• The soil in which basil is grown must be sufficiently fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, otherwise the plant will have problems producing aromatic compounds.
• It suits water it regularlyespecially if the weather is warm, but be careful not to “drown” it.

• If you grow it to use in the kitchenyou are interested in the leaves, so what is appropriate cut the top shoots to prevent flowering. And if you let it flower, the plant will dry out and end up dying.
• In autumn the plant will die, so, if you want to collect the seeds to plant them again, it is advisable let it bloom at the end of summer and cut the flowers once they have reached the spike.
• When the leaves are the right size, you can harvest them by cutting them with your handsbeing careful not to damage the rest of the leaves.