Caring for your basil seedling
by Lori from Yorkville CSA
Instructions
- Replant in a bigger pot within a week. Start with a 6-inch pot and if your plant does well you may need to go to a bigger one in a few months. Fill the pot halfway with potting soil, and put the transplant in the middle. Fill with soil so that the plant is covered a little more than it is now. Tamp down the soil and water well.
- You don’t have to take the plant out its temporary peat pot; it will disintegrate. But do tear off the bottom. I usually remove the pot though, to let the new plant move around in the soil more easily. I tear up the peat pot and bury it in the soil—it’s good organic matter.
- Put the pot on a coaster or platter to avoid drips. Water well—the water should start to come out of the bottom.
- Your basil transplant needs sun—at least 4-5 hours a day. If you can’t provide that, better to eat your basil now.
- Turn the pot frequently. Water every few days, more if the weather is very hot and the soil gets dry.
- Pinch out the center of each branch every week or so and use the herbs. Pinching will make the plant bushier. Use the leaves as you need them, but don’t take more than a third of the plant and make sure more leaves are growing before you take more.