Your comments and tips

30 Apr 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Basil is normally easy to grow. it likes moist, fertile soil and, while it won't tolerate frosts, it will burn with heat or drying winds. Select a spot that gets morning sun and protection later in the day then sow seed thinly in this spot. Sowing seed direct is more successful than using a seed bed or pot then transplanting as the plants aren't subject to root disturbance and transplanting shock.

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12 Apr 17, jodie (Australia - temperate climate)

Can basil grow in autumn

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13 Apr 17, Jack (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Basil is frost tender and is normally grown as an annual. If you had it in a frost free spot or inside it would carry over Winter. This would give you a supply of basil over winter. Basil is easy to grow from seed and you could sow seed in late Winter inside ready for Spring planting outside.

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26 Jan 17, Mary (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Please can you tell me if Basil will successfully freeze & still give off its aroma in cooking when use. Is there any special way of freezing it or just plain in a plastic bag? thanks

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01 Feb 17, anna (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Works well for me, but the leaves sometimes get a brown colour from freezing, mainly when thawed and refrozen. I perfer to freeze only some fresh and a lot of it already as a pesto in an icecube tray. the cubes are great for portioning.

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02 Jan 17, Patricia hay (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Can you grow basil in tunnel house. Any tips. Tried growing from seed with no success .

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02 Feb 17, Karen (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

I live North Shore Auckland. I've tried to grow allsorts of veg & herbs in pots from seeds outdoors with mixed success. The basil was one of my dismal failures. I now grow all my seeds indoors until the weather is warmer and the plants are well established. I find starting indoors is a lot more convenient for keeping an eye on progress. Regards basil, I find the seeds grow well starting indoors but take a while to get established once outdoors, then they go crazy! Since starting indoors I now have few failures but there are some things to be aware of: Light - needs good light so the seedlings don't become leggy. Be aware that near glass (windows/doors) can cause burn damage. Turn the pots around regularly so the plants don't lean. Don't over crowd, thin out seedlings if necessary. Temperature - Note the soil temperature required to germinate. Overheating during the day, too cold at night. I put a box over the pots at night to protect from sudden drops in temperatures. Ventilation - Ensure good air flow to minimise risk of disease, be aware of cold draughts coming from open windows at night. Watering - My seeds are sown in different sized pots/trays depending on what they are. I use

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13 Nov 18, Yolandi (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Mine germinates so well and then I loose about 3/4 of them in the first 4weeks. The leaves die.... They re inside. Not sure whats going on

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19 Jun 16, Jennifer (Australia - temperate climate)

When cooking with basil do you use leaves and stems.

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26 Jun 16, Lee (Australia - arid climate)

Hi Jen you could use the stems but mostly I strip the leaves and use them only unless I am slow cooking.

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