Not everyone knows that in addition to parsley and dill on a personal plot, you can get a crop of other spicy crops, for example, basil. Although this plant is very fond of warm weather, and it is mainly grown in the Caucasus and Asian countries, you can get a normal basil crop in the middle lane of our country.
Undemanding basil, grown in open ground or in greenhouses. It can be grown on a bed in any region, seedlings.
Choosing a place for basil
Basil - came to us from the southern latitudes, and a well-lit bed is chosen for it. The plant does not tolerate drafts, cold winds, for this reason it is advisable to plant this crop under the protection of shrubs, fences or near buildings.
The basil needs nutritious, light and loose soil, the basil grows well in the beds where tomatoes or cucumbers were planted before. Before planting basil seedlings in open ground, the site must be fertilized with manure. It also grows well after legumes, as they supply the soil with nitrogen using nodule bacteria.
The site for planting the basil is prepared in the fall, it is dug up on a bayonet shovel and fed with such fertilizers:
• Good compost or humus - contribute 3.5-5 kg per 1 m2 depending on soil nutrition;
• Granular superphosphate - 22 g;
• Potassium sulfate - 12 g.
If the area where the basil will grow is located in a lowland, then it will be nice to plant seedlings on high beds, fencing them with boards. On moist, poorly aerated soil, spices will develop poorly.
Growing seedlings
Basil is a spicy annual plant that forms a branched and beautiful bush that can grow up to 20-60 cm, depending on the cultivated variety. In addition, the color of the leaves depends on the variety - from bright green to dark green, they will even turn green-purple. In different varieties of basil, the leaves differ in shape - they can be even and flat, with a carved edge, corrugated leaves can even grow. There are leaf blades different in size and width, but any variety has their divine aroma.
Basil blooms in the last decade of July - the first decade of August. By this time, a lot of essential oil is accumulating in it, and the plants begin to spread a pleasant aroma.
At this time, and you need to collect spicy greens.
Although basil is mainly loved for its fragrant foliage, but the little white microscopic flowers attract many pollinating insects to your site.
From the outside at this time, it seems that the branches of the basil begin to move. In mid-September, the fruits also ripen - black and purple nuts.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Sow basil seeds, begin from March 20 to April 8.
To do this, use a wide box and a nutritious soil mixture, you can buy it in a special store.
In the room where the box is located, they maintain an air temperature of 25-27 degrees, in such conditions, the first shoots can be noticed after 10 days.
When the seedlings sprout, they need to provide suitable conditions. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 10 mm, seeds are often placed, after the emergence of seedlings, strong plants dive in separate cups, and weak ones are rejected.
You can grow basil seedlings in the apartment, and after warming, gradually bring seedlings to the balcony (hardened), first by 2 hours then gradually increase the hardening time.
Once every 15 days, seedlings need to be fed, using fertilizers, which have the main nutrients - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (in a ratio of 2: 3: 5).
A week before the seedlings are transplanted into the open ground, watering should be less frequent, and the time for hardening should be increased even so that the seedlings get used to new conditions.
Seedlings do not require special care - you only need to monitor the soil moisture, the soil in pots can not be overdried. It is also impossible to water too often, because of this, a black leg may appear on the seedlings, which can destroy it.
In the southern regions, basil can be sown immediately in the garden. This is done in early June by watering the grooves in advance. After sowing, the bed is covered with a film, and so they are kept until the seedlings sprout.
Planting seedlings in the garden
Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place is carried out in early June, after the return frosts have passed. Those who live in the middle lane or in the north need to grow spicy greens through seedlings in a greenhouse or greenhouse.
Seedlings are planted on a bed in pre-made holes, with row spacing of 30 cm, and a distance of 25 cm is maintained in a row. Wells are dug so that an earthen lump of seedling is placed in them, most often 9 cm is enough. Just 1 liter of water is poured into the holes just before transplanting seedlings . Seedlings are taken out of the pots along with the soil. After this, it is advisable to make a temporary greenhouse, covering the planting with polyethylene. This is important for possible nighttime cooling, after the seedlings take root and the shoots begin to grow, the shelter is completely removed.
Basil Care
Caring for this crop is complicated by the fact that it needs a lot of heat.
When cooling (especially with small frosts) it is advisable to cover the beds with foil at night, and remove in the morning on time.
For people who need only a few fragrant branches to the table, especially there is no need to try, it’s easy to grow a small amount of basil.
Watering and fertilizing
Water the plants sparingly, you can not fill the beds. The water is used warm, previously settled in a barrel, bushes are watered from a watering can, the best time for watering is when the daytime heat subsides, after 17.00 hours. Once every 2 weeks you need to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
The first top dressing of the basil is carried out from June 10 to 20, another 3-4 weeks after the first. Mineral or organic fertilizers are used for top dressing, in proportions intended for green vegetables or greens. This culture blooms in early August, during this period the branches become slightly tart and fragrant.
Picking greens
Basil, if necessary, can be removed 2 times per season. The first time they cut the greens in early July, before flowering. To do this, carefully cut the upper shoots, you can not cut under the root, otherwise the plant will die, you need to leave a few leaves at the beginning of the branch. The basil is cleaned again in August, by this time new branches should appear on the bushes. If you need a little green to the table, then you can cut several branches at any time. In order for the bush to live longer, in the first decade of September, 2-3 bushes are transplanted into large flower pots. So the basil can live long, and supply you with fresh herbs almost all winter.
Harvest basil, salting it or drying the greens.
To get dry basil, sprinkle the cut branches with a thin layer on the baking sheets and cover them with a clean cloth.
After that, the baking sheets are transferred to a well-ventilated, dry place where the sun's rays do not penetrate. For example, a barn or attic is suitable.
Determining whether the greens have dried sufficiently is not difficult. Its leaves should be easily rubbed, and the stems should break.
Dry grass is stored in porcelain or glass hermetically sealed jars. So basil will not go bad for more than 3 years.
