Basil

How many times have you bought basil at the grocery store only to let them go to waste? Well, this does not have to be the case again! I will show you how to store your fresh basil herbs for later use. Basil can be stored using the 1) bouquet style and 2) paper towel…

Recently, you have been introduced to the wonderful world of bonsai and the possibilities for its application to herbs. Why not turn your basil plant outside into a fancy bonsai? Is it really possible? Basil can be turned into bonsai. However, such bonsai will last only one season. There are 5 basil varieties that can…

It is understandable that using herbs in the kitchen can be confusing especially if you’re a first-timer. You might not know how to use them or which one is great for certain dishes. Fresh herbs will open your taste buds to a whole new world of flavor that it’s worth the time to get to…

Basil comes in all different kinds, breeds, flavors, and scents. However, isn’t it jarring to have some basils smell like licorice or lemon while others smell like cat pee? In general, basil plants can produce different scents akin to cat urine, lemon, licorice, or even cinnamon due to the presence of particular compounds like mercaptan,…

Those who grow potted, greenhouse, or indoor basil quickly notice when the leaves become translucent or transparent. Why does this happen? When basil leaves lose their green color and turn translucent or transparent, it may be caused by: lack of sunlight and chlorophyll production insects sucking out the juice cold drafts causing plant stress infection…

I grow basil for years and I have always wondered why basil dies so fast. Wilting, turning brown from the bottom up are all signs of a serious problem. What should you do then? Why is your basil dying? Here is what I noticed over the years of growing basil indoor and outdoor. The most…

Pruning basil to make is not only useful to get some fresh leaves for your plates but it also improves the plant’s overall health. In general, basil should be pruned with a clear cut just above a node, ideally leaving one-third of the stem. Pruning keeps basil healthy but stimulates its growth. If the cut…

Watering basil is often where many fail in growing basil. How many inches or how often basil should be watered are indeed often overestimated leading to overwatering and root rot. Depending on the temperature, and even on its location (indoor or outdoor) basil might require different watering. Let’s discover here how I grow my basil…

If you end up with a yellow leaves basil plant for no apparent reason, welcome to the club. Before growing the massive basil indoor, I managed to yellow (and wilting) quite a few. Basil leaves turn yellow for 9 reasons: Excess of water causing root rot Too compact soil that prevents breathing Diseases like powdery…

Your basil was doing great when you realized that your fresh leaves are now covered in black spots? Should you panic? Keep calm. Here is the good news: here you will learn how to identify such spots and save your basil. Black spots on basil leaves are most commonly caused by 1) leaf miners feeding…

Look. There are more than 100 varieties of basil that you might grow or use in your dishes. So no wonder if you want to know if they can be replaced in your recipes or what they look like if grown in your indoor garden. Here, I will learn how to distinguish (and choose) between…