Sowing basil outdoors in spring - when can you sow seeds?
In addition to the well-known dill and parsley, many gardeners also grow basil... This spicy fragrant herb is often planted not only in garden beds, but also in a flower bed, because in addition to being very useful, lush bushes also have a beautiful decorative appearance. Depending on the variety, there are plants with green or purple leaves, and even with a silvery sheen. In addition, each variety has its own aroma and can smell like cinnamon, lemon, clove or anise.
Using the seedling method, you can get an early harvest of greens, but if this goal is not worth it, basil reproduces well and sowing seeds in open ground.
Sowing time
Unlike parsleySown in early spring, basil is more thermophilic. Sowing basil in open ground in the spring is possible when stable warm weather sets in and the night cold snaps go away. Usually this is the end of May - the beginning of June, because the spice grows actively only when the air temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius. Even a decrease in the night temperature to 1 degree Celsius can destroy delicate bushes.
Sowing seeds directly to the garden is not recommended in the northern regions. The first cold snap occurs there already at the end of summer, and then the harvest may not be seen.
Where to plant?
Basil is very demanding on lighting, so the beds should be set up in a sunny area where water does not stagnate - an excessively wet, non-drying area leads to decay and destruction of plantings.
If you plant basil under young trees (they also have almost no shade), its smell will scare off pests and protect the garden from their invasion.
A month before sowing, a plot is needed, because basil loves light and nutritious soil:
- for each square meter of the plot, add 2 kg of humus and peat;
- dig up.
How to plant basil?
The fragrant spice tends to grow strongly, therefore, when planting in rows, you need to leave a distance of at least 30 cm between them.In the very row, it is better to spread the seeds in 2 pieces with a distance of 5 cm.If all sprout, the weaker sprouts can then be removed.
To speed up germination, it is recommended to cover the beds with foil. After germination, the shelter is immediately removed so that the seedlings do not get worn out.