How to Grow Basil from Seed: A Step-by-Step Guide

A packet of basil seeds costs less than one store-bought clamshell of leaves, and it can give you dozens of plants. Basil is also one of the fastest herbs to grow, with a first harvest often just six-8 weeks from seed. This guide covers every stage, whether you have a sunny windowsill, a patio pot or a garden bed. 

Choose a Basil Variety

Select according to your cooking style:

• Genovese / No brainer sweet – the classic for your pesto, caprese and pasta sauce.
• Thai basil: The flavor is anise, so it's spectacular for stir-frying and also right into curries.
• Lemon Basil: Great tasting with a lemon flavour, great for teas, dressings and fish dishes.
• Purple basil (Mild, clove — the vigorous colour edges on ornamental)
• Bush or dwarf basil, with compact plants ideal for pots and windowsills.

Start with sweet basil — only try one other type if you have no idea what else is to grow. You can see them all here, in our basil seed collection.

When to Plant Basil Seeds

As it is important to note, basil loves warmth but does not survive frost so timing is everything.

• Indoor dates: 4–6 weeks before your last frost date.
• In the garden: sow in place when all danger of frost has passed and soil is warm to the tongue.
• Any Month: sow all year on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights

What planting can you do this time of year? Our seasonal seeds guide can be useful if you need assistance planting at the right time.

What You'll Need

• Use a seed-starting mix (garden soil is too heavy).
• Use trays or tiny pots that have drains
• A spray bottle
• A clear dome or plastic wrap
• A sunny window or grow light
• Plant labels
• (Optional) germination heat mat — they grow fastest with a heat matt

Sowing Basil Seeds

1. Fill your containers with seed-starting mix (wet, but not dripping)
2. Then place 2 or 3 seeds in each cell, or cup.
3. Top with 1/4 inch of mix. Basil needs a little light for germination so dot bury your seeds deep in the earth.
4. Mist the surface, dome/cover the tray and place it in a warm-warm area with bright light.
5. Be sure to label each pot with the variety and date.
6. Keep the mix evenly moist. Many seeds: 5 to 10 days sprouting

Caring for Seedlings

Even once the first sprouts appear, take off the cover and give me air (circulation). You provide seedlings any form of bright light 6 to 8 hours a day, or put seedlings under a grow light with the bulb simply inches above the leaves for twelve to fourteen hours. They have weak, pale elongation from too little light.

Bottom water by placing the tray in shallow standing water for several minutes. So that will have it drier at the surface and be less likely to get damping-off a fungus that causes seedlings to fall over at the root area.

Thinning every pot to the strongest seedling once you have your first true leaves. Instead of gently pulling the unwelcome plants, you need to consider cutting them back at soil level so as not to damage the roots of your retained plant.

Transplanting Outdoors

Once seedlings have a couple of sets of true leaves and the weather is predictably warm days, cool evenings then it is time to harden them off and move outside. They then must be hardened off, putting them outside in a shelter for an hour or two and increasing this time each day over 7 to 10 days. It hardens the transplants and prevents transplant shock.

How far to plant in the beds (10-12 inches apart). For one plant, a pot 8 to 10 inches wide, or a much larger planter for two or three if grown in containers.

Sun, Water and Feeding

Basil requires a minimum of 6 hours Of sunshine every single day A tiny amount of afternoon colour Can often help in incredibly hot environments. Basil does not like wet roots so water from the base when the first inch of soil is dry as if you get it on the leaves they will tend to suffer. Mulch is ideal for garden bed plants, because it retains moisture.

Apply a balanced fertilizer or organic fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks during your growing season. Heavy-feed it, and yes it produces lots of leaves but a much milder taste.

Harvesting

Start harvesting when plants reach 6 to 8 inches tall. If you cut the stems just above a leaf pair, they will each produce two new shoots at that location and become bushier. Harvest from the top not stripping leaves further down and never take more than a third at once.

Watch for flower buds. Pinch off budding leaves as soon as you see new buds — basil leaf flavor will turn bitter and growth slows when the plant flowers.

Common Problems

• Seeds Won't Germinate; Too often too cold or sown too deep Seed shallow, Keep the Mix Warm
• Light too weak — seedlings skinny & leggy Place them right up against the window or lower the grow light.
• Yellowing leaves: often overwatering. Let soil dry out slightly between watering
• Cold Damage in Leaves with Black Spots (1a) or Fungal Problem? This attention to keep he plants when the same cool nights and not to wet his foliage.
• If, during its flowering phase; you picked flowers or if you cheaped out early when harvesting. Keep it moist, pinch the buds and shade your plant from the afternoon sun in hotter weather.

FAQs

How long does it take for basil to germinate?

The seeds take about 5-10 days to germinate, and in most cases people can expect a harvest within about 6–8 weeks from soucing.

Is it feasible to give basil inside through all the seasons?

Yes. Just a bright south-facing window or basic grow light will do. The compact types are best suited for small spaces.

Should basil seeds be soaked before planting?

Basil can soak the grounds and germinates easily; raw seeds will turn gellacious and hard to handle.

How many seeds to plant basil per pot?

Sow two or three; then thin to the strongest seedling when true leaves form.

Is basil a perennial that comes back?

Most basils are annuals and will perish after their first frost. Sowing new seeds each Spring is a simple process, basil grows quickly and easily.

Start Growing

Basil is relatively forgiving, as long it gets some warmth, light and regular pinching. Choose from our selection of basil seeds, or create an entire mini herb garden by combining with culinary herbs such as thyme, oregano and mint.