Basil: the cultivation and care of spicy plants.How to grow basil in the garden in the greenhouse andopen ground

Not everyone knows that except parsley and dill
on the plot you can harvest other spice
cultures, for example, basil. Although this plant loves warm
weather, and mostly it is grown in the South Caucasus and Asian
countries, you can get a normal harvest of basil and in the middle
strip of our country.

Нетребовательный базилик, выращивают в open ground или
greenhouses. It can be grown on a bed in any region,
rassadny way.

Choosing a place for basil

Basil – came to us from southern latitudes, and choose for it
well-lit garden bed. The plant does not tolerate drafts,
cold wind, for this reason it is advisable to plant this crop
under the protection of shrubs, fences or near buildings.

Basil requires nutritious, light and loose soil,
Basil grows beautifully on the beds where tomatoes have been planted before
or cucumbers. Before planting basil seedlings in open ground,
Plot should be fertilized with manure. It also grows well after
legumes since they are using nodule bacteria
supply the soil with nitrogen.

Land for planting basil is prepared in the fall, his
they dig up shovels on a bayonet and feed them like this
fertilizers:

• Good compost or humus – make 3.5-5 kg ​​per 1 m2 in
dependence of the nutritional value of the soil;

• Granular superphosphate – 22 g;

• Potassium sulfate – 12 g.

If the area where the basil is going to grow is in a lowland, then
it will be nice to plant seedlings on high beds, protecting them
boards. On wet, poorly aerated soil, spices will be bad.
develop.

Growing seedlings

Basil is a spicy annual plant that forms a branched and
beautiful bush that can grow up to 20-60 cm, depending
from cultivated varieties. In addition, the leaf color depends on the variety.
– from bright green to dark green, they even turn out
green and purple. Different varieties of basil leaves are different and
shape – they can be both flat and flat, with a carved edge;
even grow corrugated leaves. There are leafy plates different
in size and width, but any divine scent has it
varieties.

Basil blooms in the last decade of July – the first decade of August.
By this time a lot of essential oil accumulates in it, and
plants begin to spread a pleasant scent.

At this time, and you need to collect spicy greens.

Although basil is mostly loved for fragrant foliage, but white
microscopic flowers attract a lot to your site
insect pollinators.

From the side at this time, it seems that the sprigs of basil are starting
stir. Fruits ripen in mid-September – nuts
black and purple.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Sow the seeds of basil, starting from March 20 to April 8.

To do this, use a wide box and nutritious soil mixture,
You can buy it in a special store.

In the room where the box is, keep the temperature
air 25-27 degrees, in such conditions, the first shoots can be
notice after 10 days.

When seedlings germinate, they need to provide suitable conditions.
Sowing is done at a depth of 10 mm, the seeds are often placed after
emergence of seedlings, strong plants dive into separate
cups, and weak ones reject.

You can grow basil seedlings in the apartment, and after
warming gradually carry out the seedlings on the balcony (quenched),
first for 2 hours then gradually the tempering time
increase.

Once every 15 days, seedlings need to be fed, using fertilizers,
which are the main nutrients – nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
(in a ratio of 2: 3: 5).

A week before transplanting seedlings into the open ground, you need to water
less often, and the time for hardening is further increased so that the seedlings are used to
to new conditions.

Seedlings do not require special care – you only need to follow
soil moisture, the soil in the pots can not be overdry. Same
it is impossible to water too often, because of this, the seedlings may
appear black leg, which is able to destroy it.

In the southern regions, you can sow basil right on the garden bed. it
do in early June, watering the grooves in advance. After sowing
the bed is covered with foil, and so kept until the seedlings sprout.

Planting seedlings on the garden

Seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in early June,
after the return frost. To those who live in
the middle lane or in the north, spicy greens need to be grown through
seedlings in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Seedlings are planted in the garden in the pre-made holes, with
row spacing of 30 cm, in a row maintain a distance of 25 cm. Holes dig
so that they fit an earthen clod of seedlings, most often
Enough 9 cm. Right before transplanting, seedlings are poured into the wells.
1 liter of water. Seedlings are removed from the pots along with the soil. After
This is desirable to make a temporary greenhouse, covering the landing
polyethylene. it важно при возможных ночных похолоданиях, после
the seedlings take root and the shoots start grow cover completely
clean up.

Basil Care

Caring for this culture is complicated by the fact that it takes a lot
heat

When cold weather (especially when small frosts) is desirable
cover the beds with film for the night, and take pictures in the morning.

For people who need only a few fragrant twigs
to the table, especially no need to try, a small amount of basil
grow easy.

Watering and fertilizing

Water the plants moderately, you can not fill the beds. Water
use a warm, previously settled in the barrel, bushes watered from
watering cans, the best time for watering is when the daytime heat subsides, after
17.00 hours. Once every 2 weeks you need to loosen the soil and remove
weeds.

The first feeding basil produced from 10 to 20 June, another
3-4 weeks after the first. For dressing use mineral
or organic fertilizers, in proportions intended for
green vegetables or greens. This culture blooms in early August, in
this period the twigs become slightly tart and fragrant.

Collecting greens

Basil, if necessary, can be removed 2 times per season. The first
once cut the greens in early July, before flowering. For this
carefully cut off the upper shoots, the root can not be cut otherwise
the plant will die, you need to leave some leaves at the beginning
twigs. Basil is removed again in August, by this date
кустиках должны появиться новые twigs. If you need some
greenery to the table, you can at any time prune a few twigs.
To bush lived longer in the first decade of September transplanted
2-3 bushes in large flower pots. So basil can live
long, and supply you with fresh greens almost all winter.

Basil is harvested by salting it or drying the greens.

To get dry basil sprinkle cut twigs thin
layer on the trays and cover them with a clean cloth.

After этого, противни переносят в хорошо проветриваемое, сухое,
a place where the sun’s rays do not penetrate. For example, suitable barn
or attic.

Determining whether the green has dried out is not difficult. Its leaves
should be easily rubbed, and the stems break.

Dry grass is stored in porcelain or glass.
hermetically sealed cans. So basil will not spoil more than 3
years old.