If you have very poor soil in your garden, consider growing in a raised bed or container instead.
Water
Speaking of water, the soil should remain consistently moist at all times.
If you stick your finger into the soil, it should feel like a well-wrung-out sponge. If it feels any drier than that, add water.
If it feels wetter, wait a while before watering and then make sure the soil is just starting to dry out before adding more moisture.
Learn more about watering basil here.
Fertilizing
Greek basil is a fairly hungry herb and you’ll need to fertilize regularly, especially if you are growing in a container.
Provide a mild, balanced fertilizer every two to three weeks. Our guide to fertilizing basil has full details.
Containers
The petite size makes this particular herb perfect for growing in a pot. Make sure that the container has drainage holes in the bottom.
Use a moisture-retentive potting medium, like Tank’s-Pro Coco Soil, available from Arbico Organics.
Tank’s-Pro Coco Soil
I grow all my container herbs with this product as it contains organic compost combined with coco coir for water retention, good drainage, and oodles of nutrients.
Pinching and Pruning
You can pinch back the growing tips as it’s maturing to encourage bushier growth.
You should also prune off any flowers that appear to encourage the plant to focus on growing more foliage rather than producing seeds.
Once the flowers develop, the stems will become leggier and the leaves less flavorful.
Of course, if you want to harvest the seeds, you can let the flower stalks remain. Learn more about the ins and outs of saving seeds.
If you want to understand more about when and how to prune, our guide covers everything.
Cultivars to Select
There are lots of great cultivars out there and we’ll talk about just a few here to give you an idea of what’s available.
You can often find plants available at your local garden center or nursery.
Greek Basil
If you want to purchase the classic bush species, visit Burpee to pick up packet of 100 seeds.
Dwarf Greek
‘Dwarf Greek’ is even smaller than the species. It only grows to about six inches tall, which makes it ideal for gardeners who want a quick growing, petite option for the windowsill.
‘Dwarf Greek’
It’s perfect as a table centerpiece or for giving as a gift.
True Leaf Market carries seeds in a variety of packet sizes to suit your needs.
Minette
‘Minette’ is a little cutie. It takes on a rounded shape and grows to just about 10 inches tall.
‘Minette’
The leaves are smaller than those of the species. It’s another perfect option for containers or growing on a windowsill.
You can find ‘Minette’ seeds available at Eden Brothers.
Spicy Globe
One of my favorite cultivars, ‘Spicy Globe’ has a perfectly round form that almost seems unnatural.
That, along with the extra pungent fragrance and flavor, means you get a lot of herb in just a little package.
‘Spicy Globe’
It grows rapidly to about a foot tall and wide.
You can find seeds available at True Leaf Market in a variety of packet sizes.
Our guide to growing ‘Spicy Globe’ has full cultivation details.
Propagation
All types of basil are supremely easy to propagate, whether from seed, via cuttings, or by dividing a plant that you’ve purchased from your local store.
Whichever method appeals to you, our guide to basil propagation will help you through the whole process.
Managing Pests and Disease
Herbivores like rabbits, deer, and birds generally ignore Greek basil. So you can take those off your list of pests to worry about.
But aphids, Japanese beetles, slugs, and snails are all frequent visitors.
Check out our guide to aphids to learn how to identify these pests and the damage they can do, which includes yellowing of the foliage and overall stunted growth.
Japanese beetles feed on the leaves, making them look like lace and also causing stunted growth.
Slugs and snails feed on the leaves and stems, too, but unlike Japanese beetles, they will devour entire stems and leaves, or even an entire small plant.
