How to grow Basil in your balcony

Basil is a member of the "Mint" family. Its botanical name is Ocimum Basilicum. I has a been used for as an embalming and preserving herb, found in mummies of Egypt and it was a symbol of mourning in Greece, where it was known as the "royal herb" .It is said that its origin comes from India, but there are some indications it may have originated even farther east; as it has been recorded from 907 A.D. in the Hunan region of China. It migrated westward as whole plants, since it could be grown easily indoors away from frost exposure. Today, basil is not only used as a food flavoring, but also in perfumery, incense, and herbal holistic remedies.

Basil has different varieties. It is easy to grow, and transforms ordinary meals into culinary treasures! Fresh basil not only tastes better than dried, it actually tastes different, almost as if it were not the same herb. Basil smells so good, and has such attractive blooms for an herb, that it's also grown in flower gardens as decoration. The blooms are also edible, though if the plant is allowed to bloom regularly its flavor declines.

As long as you have a sunny garden spot and reasonably fertile soil, basil can be successfully done throughout the world. Most gardeners who have grown, handled, and cooked a number of varieties have found that their cultivation requirements are not demanding at all. Basils also do well in container gardens located in full sun.

Choose the kind of basil you wish to grow. Do not waste this opportunity to choose one of the many astounding varieties which might be most fun or useful for you. Cinnamon basil really does smell like the sweet spice, it also has unusually beautiful and fragrant flowers. Lemon basil actually contains citral, an aromatic compound found in citrus fruit, and smells very lemony. Purple basil is often grown for decoration, as well as its scent and flowers. 

There are perennial basils which come back year after year, like African Blue Basil (which has pretty blue veins on its leaves) and Thai Basil, while most other varieties are annuals, which you'll have to plant year after year. Globe and Greek basil are much more difficult to grow, but form pretty little bushes which stay well-contained

If you are growing basil for the first time and want the herb primarily for cooking, we suggest Sweet Green Italian and Lettuce Leaved for starters. These varieties are the easiest to grow and size up quickly. They also have the most familiar sweet basil flavor. .

Basil should be cultivated in regions with temperatures between 7 to 27 C (45 to 80F) with a soil pH 4.3 to 8.2 (check the pH every four to six weeks). The tender annual, which is susceptible to frost grows best under full sun (at least 8hs of sun exposure per day), if there is no full sun where you live, at least grow your basil under artificial lighting. Fluorescent lights can be used if you don't have a sunny window. They will need to be placed close to the plants (18") and kept on for about 10 hours/day. Basil is perennial, so plant it in a pot that can be brought indoors through the winter months. Keep the lights on and you will have fresh herb all year round.

It does need a well-drained soils, (the easiest way to accomplish this is by putting an inch of gravel at the bottom of your container)

You can start from seeding in a "training seedling greenhouse starter container" and then transplant them to the final pot in late Spring after all danger of frost has passed. You should be able to germinate around 80% of your seeds.

Soil should be kept moist to speed germination and to improve its establishment. Seeds are small and should be planted shallow. Seed bed should be soft and uniform. You should see the first leaves after 8-14 days. Once two sets of leaves have formed, basil can be transplanted into the permanent container. Turn greenhouser upside down and gently squeeze it until plant falls out into your cupped hand. 
At the beginning the growth is slow, but after a few sets of leaves have emerged, growth rate increases significantly. Most small growers raising basil as an annual crop for a fresh use transplants, rather than direct field sowing.

Transplants are easy to produce and normally require 4-6 weeks of growth. If you want to grow your basil from stem-cutting, just pick some lateral branches, cut the stem about 3 inches from soil level, then peel off the first sets of leaves (around 3inches high) and place them into a container full of water, yes, just water (or you can use the classic mixture of sand and peat moss). You are going to see the first roots starting to grow in about two weeks, but do not get too anxious!!!, wait until you have a good set of roots in order to plant the new "grown" basil in the pot. When you are ready to plant it, fill flats with equal parts perlite, vermiculite, and peat. Press soil slightly to eliminate air pockets. Dampen soil, transplant your "Big basil" and enjoy.

Basil is intolerant to water stress at any stage of its development. So, a regular and even supply of water at rates used for most herbaceous vegetable crops will provide enough water. An easy method: water your basil when the soil feels dry if you stick your finger one inch into the soil. Remember to water your outdoor basil if it is covered, sometimes, maybe even more than you do in a regular basis because the humidity in the environment will "suck out" the water from the perspiration of your plant.

The larger the pot the less often you will need to water the plants. A 12-inches container is large enough for a single plant although many gardeners use even larger containers. Unglazed terra-cotta pots or wooden boxes work better for herbs than plastic pots, which can keep the soil too humid. 

Generally speaking, potted plants do not succeed in plain garden soil. Instead, grow sweet basil in a mix of 1 part perlite to 5 parts potting soil.

Fertilizer applications depend on the type of soil and cropping history, that means, the older your plant is, the more fertilizer you will need. Basil responds well to moderate fertilizer such as a N-P-K ratio of 1-1-1. Spray it on the actual leaves - both tops and beneath but honestly, you won't need it for the first harvest. 

There is no national herbicide registrations for basil in the USA. This means that basil should be grown without herbicides. (A little secret, the basil itself has some antifungal properties, so it won't even require the use of one)...but if you insist, try to go Green, you should try your best to get a delicious organic, and free of chemical herb; so use mulch and manual weeding for weed control and also helps retain moisture for shallow rooted herbs. 

(Try this: grow two plants, one with herbicides and commercial fertilizer and one without, and you are going to see the difference in the aroma and flavor between them).

Flowers blooming create a hormone change which dramatically reduces the flavor of the leaves, as well as the amount of new foliage which grows. This is  more likely to happen when there is and unexpected raise in the temperature. You'll notice that if you leave the flowers, the plant will become thin and tall and the leaves won't be as full or tasty. So, when you see flower buds, pinch them out and the set of leaves under them too. If you look closely, at the base of every leaf are two tiny little leaves that will grow outwards if the stem growing between them is cut off. Cut close to those tiny leaves, but be sure not to damage them.

It is not rocket science to harvest your basil but remember that the part harvested depends on what you will use the basil for. Where it is grown for its dried leaves, cut just prior to the appearance of flowers. For essential oil, it is harvested during blooming season. 

Here in my balcony, where I have a tropical climate I can get 3-5 cuttings per year. In the more northern temperate zones, the growing season is long enough for one, sometimes two cuts. Where two cuts are practiced, the first is generally early in the summer, and the yield relatively low, and the second just prior to open bloom. For the fresh and dried ones, it is harvested for its leaves, and the plant cut above the soil two to four sets of true leaves. The leaves can be cut when needed. To allow for re-growth, cutting should be at least 10-15 cm above the ground.

Growth may be encouraged by topping when plants are about 12 cm in height. 

The color and aroma retention, is strongly affected by how you handle your harvested leaves. You should dry them at low temperatures (<30C or <90F) to hold its color (like the ones you buy at the supermarket) or distilling for essential oil. Leaves should be washed and cleaned. Basil is very sensitive to sudden temperature change. For essential oil, the cut basil is normally cut, then field dried for 1-3 days before the material is collected and distilled.

I utilize my bonsai trimming scissors to harvest, simply because they are handy, sharp and I keep them in my Gardening bag, but you can use any type of scissors. Of course try to avoid using a knife or a razor since they will not make a clean cut. If you cut on the top, you will motivate bushier development of the plant. But, ifd you cut on the bottom or sides, you will promote a taller, much more slim plant. Prune once you have three or four sets of leaves. Do not trim much more than a 1/3 of the total growth during a single period. This is exactly why you should try to get the tenderest areas of the plant (so your food processor will not get blocked up with wood stems).

We clip away all of the flowers to activate energetic new growth to spring from the side shoots. Even trim any kind of leaves which look like they’re looking set to change to less than lively green in the future. We remove these away just before they lose their color so you can still use these in a pesto as well.

After that if we require much more volume to be able to fill out our pesto-destined bag full of herbs, we sit down and crunch away individual leaves.

When freezing the basil leaves, use your scissors alongside the stem and slice all the whole row of leaves at the same time, so you make sure no stems are left. Freeze an abundance of leaves. Collect, wash, and dry. Seal in freezer bags until ready to use.

Or you can dry your basil in a ventilated warm location out of direct sunlight. (I never recommend to do it in your garage, specially if you live in the south, because in summer, the temperature can reach over 100F (38C) and you may lose all your harvest. When drying your basil, abandon the leaves on each stem right up until they’re crunchy and nice .

Bundles of herbs can be dried upside down from a line. Another method for harvesting sweet basil is drying the herb on a screen covered with and old kitchen-cloth, but I have used old newspaper and it works perfectly as well. The papers can decrease the staining and oxidation in which it might undergo with no paper. 

A few basil fanatics prefer to dry out their herb using a specific basil-drying screen after which they complete the procedure by cooking it within the oven Space the leaves to allow air to circulate. Dry herbs for around ten days before storing. 

If you wish to save your own basil seed, select a few strong growing stems and allow them to grow without pruning to flowering and seed formation. Watch the flower and seed pots carefully so that you harvest the seeds for drying before they fall to the ground.

Off the record: This is not a cooking blog, but if you want to share some of your delicious recipes using home grown basil, I'll be more than welcome to post it. I have a secret home made pizza recipe...but if I post it here it wont be secret anymore, so just ask for it and I'll email it to you...