The Basil Grower’s Guide—All You Need to Know About Growing and Cooking with Basil

By Bill Dugan, Executive Editor

In this month’s Food Gardening Magazine, you get everything you need to know about growing basil—an essential herb for every kitchen and garden. And planting and harvesting basil is just about the easiest—and most bountiful—thing you can grow in your garden. If you want everything you need to know about growing and harvesting fresh basil, this gardening guide is for you!

Basil is one of the most common herbs grown by food gardeners and is enjoyed by cooks to flavor everything from spaghetti sauce to salads, vegetables, and pesto. And this gardening guide about basil covers it all—so that you can ultimately enjoy the fruits of your gardening labor with tasty and easy-to-make basil recipes.

In this gardening guide, you get all the basil growing tips, techniques, and advice about how to start and maintain an awesome basil garden. And we cover growing basil for beginners and skilled gardeners alike. Plus, whether you want to grow indoor basil plants or outside in your garden, we’ve got you covered!

You get specific advice about basil plant profiles—from the best basil plant varieties for your needs to the characteristics and features of each variety. Basil types and basil plant care are covered in great detail for you, so that choosing which variety to plant is an easier decision for you to make. You’ll harvest the most delicious basil from any sweet basil, Thai basil, purple basil plant, lemon basil plant–or whatever basil variety you choose—in your garden when you follow all of this advice.

This gardening guide about basil is your #1 guide for being the best basil gardener you can be! You should refer to this gardening guide whenever you have questions about the best way to grow basil—from planning to planting and from maintaining and nurturing to harvesting and reaping the rewards in your kitchen. You’ll have everything about taking care of basil plants in your garden with this gardening guide!

First, you get a complete Introduction to Basil—including the history and background of this hearty, bountiful, and beautiful herb.

Did you know that basil was such a revered plant in ancient Egypt that the dead were embalmed with basil? Or that basil is, technically speaking, part of the large mint family of plants? Get all the details about the history and background of basil when you read this introduction now.

In the Feature Articles about Basil, you’ll discover:

A Word About Choosing Varieties of Basil—do you know what your goals are for growing basil? For cooking purposes? For decorative purposes? As basil companion plants? Or maybe for all of these reasons? This article will help you decide which type of basil is best for your needs.
Choosing to Grow Your Basil from Seeds, Cuttings, or Seedlings—how easy is it to grow basil from seeds? What about starting your basil garden from basil cuttings or seedlings? What is the best way to get your basil garden started? Find out now in this article.
Growing Basil Indoors, in Open Land, in Raised Beds, or in Containers—growing basil indoors and growing basil in pots are some popular ways to maintain a basil garden. Learn all about the different growing locations and methods for basil, right now.
Starting with the Right Soil for Your Basil Plants—what is the number one thing you need to consider for your basil’s soil? What matters about soil for basil in pots? What about the pH level of the soil—what should that be? Find out now.
The Right Sunlight for Your Basil Plants—basil needs a lot of sun to grow. Get details and advice about basil light requirements—to ensure your basil plants get enough sun, but not too much!
Watering Your Basil Plants—watering basil can be one of the trickiest parts of maintaining your basil plants in a healthy state. How often to water basil plants? Find out the best watering methods now.
How to Spot, Treat, and Prevent Basil-Plant Diseases—basil, unfortunately, is susceptible to developing fungal and bacterial infections, such as gray mold, white powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, and black spot. Learn how to treat and prevent diseases that can destroy your basil plants.
What to Do About Pests that Can Harm Your Basil Plants—get a list of the top basil plant pests that can infect your crop—and how to prepare your garden to ward off all pests in the first place. What should you do about Japanese beetles on basil plants? Have you tried a “beer trap” to rid your garden of slugs? Get all the answers now.
Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Basil—get the full list of essential gardening tools and equipment for growing basil … and for almost all of your gardening needs.

Next, this premium gardening guide highlights six popular basil varieties to help you choose the varieties you want to grow—this is just a sampling of the many varieties available, but this is a good guide for selecting the type of plant that’s best for your basil growing conditions and your cooking needs:

And all of your basil-gardening efforts are made more satisfying when you have quick and easy-to-make recipes, to ensure your harvest is enjoyed by everyone you serve at your home. Food Gardening Network is all about providing delicious recipes for making yummy dishes. Try these recipes and enjoy your basil harvest in the most satisfying ways—even basil ice cream!

Next, you’ll learn all about the health benefits of basil with Nutrition Facts about Basil and Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Basil. Learn about all the wonderful and beneficial attributes of basil—and how you can use basil to boost your health.

And to be sure you have everything you need to grow your own basil, we’ve included a Resources about Basil section—so that you can easily find additional tools and information about basil … and all sorts of other general gardening resources.

Finally, our Glossary section gives you the explanation of key basil-growing and gardening terms and concepts—so, you’re never in the dark or confused about growing basil or harvesting basil.

Check out this premium gardening guide now—The Basil Grower’s Guide—All You Need to Know About Growing and Cooking with Basil—and you’ll really learn everything you need to know about basil!

Norann Oleson, Victoria Arnold, and Samantha Pulcherz contributed to the creation of this gardening guide.

Growing food, fun & more