The aroma of fresh home-grown basil cannot be beat. The herb plant develops its optimum outside in the fresh air, caressed by warm rays of sunshine. We'll tell you here how to properly plant royal herb outdoors.
How to properly plant basil outside?
To successfully plant basil outside, you should plant it from mid-May, after the Ice Saints, in a sunny, warm and protected location with humus, nutrient-rich and fresh, moist soil. Water regularly, protect from the cold if necessary and remove buds to promote he althy growth of the plant.
Planting time for basil begins in May
Temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius do not do justice to basil's sunny disposition. Only when the ice saints have said goodbye in mid-May does the kingweed move outside. An ideal location is sunny, warm and sheltered. Place the herb plant you have grown yourself or purchased ready-made in the soil like this:
- the ideal soil is humus, nutrient-rich and freshly moist
- dig a pit with twice the volume of the root ball
- drainage on the sole prevents harmful waterlogging
- enrich the excavation with compost, horn shavings (€52.00 on Amazon) and sand
- fill in a layer of substrate, plant the potted basil and water it
Place the young plant exactly as deep in the ground as it was previously. A mulch layer of compost or bark mulch keeps the soil moist and warm for longer. Always water the royal herb when the surface of the soil has dried out. Fertilize for the first time at the earliest 4-6 weeks after planting.
Protect basil outside from the cold
In the pot, basil can be exposed to fresh air as early as April, provided it is in a protected location on the balcony. During the day, the herb plant soaks up valuable solar heat before moving inside the house at night. From mid-May onwards, the danger of delayed ground frosts is averted, so that the kingweed in the pot remains in the open air.
Sometimes the sheep's cold hits in early to mid-June a year. In this case, protect the planted basil with a warming fleece, as temperatures should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius. Potted plants on the balcony are usually not at risk due to their proximity to the house.
tips: As pretty as the white labial flowers on basil are to look at, they inevitably herald the end of the herb plant. Therefore, pay attention to buds every time you harvest and remove them immediately. The reward for this caution is an even longer period of enjoyment of the crisp, fresh spice leaves.
