Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow successfully as long as you remember that it does not tolerate cold, or even cool, weather. Here are suggestions for sowing and growing via different means.

Starting Basil Indoors
Sowing Directly in the Garden
Starting with Plants
Growing in Containers
Preparing and Caring
A Place in the Garden

Starting Basil Indoors
If you plan to move your basil out to the garden, sow seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the date of your average last frost in spring.

Sowing Directly in the Garden.
Sow seeds in the garden when the soil has warmed up to about 55 to 60 degrees day and night temperatures. Sow the seeds about ½ inch deep in rows or in groups; drop two to three seeds in each hole for the latter. Since they germinate readily, don't sow them too thickly. Keep the soil moist until germination occurs. When the seedlings have at least two pairs of true leaves and are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin them to stand 10 to 30 inches apart, depending on the height at maturity. Begin pinching out the growing tips for compact growth when the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall.

Starting with Plants
You can also purchase plants at garden centers or nurseries in individual pots, six-packs, or flats. Look for young, compact plants. Avoid tall, leggy plants. The leaves of sweet basil should be a clear deep green; spots on the leaves may indicate they have been exposed to the cold. Pass up plants that have obvious pests on stems or leaves. If you can't plant the herbs right away, set them in a protected area away from the drying effects of direct sun and wind until you can put them in the ground or in containers.

Growing in Containers
Basils add color, texture, and aroma to a container of herbs and/or other annuals, and look great in pots or window boxes just outside the school or classroom. The container, filled with soilless mix and compost or potting soil, should have drainage holes in the bottom or sides. Have students decide where to place plants in a container depending on the size of container, mix of plants, and size and type of basil you're growing.

Water the container well after planting and keep the plants evenly moist through the growing season Clay pots will dry out much more quickly than non-porous containers. Smaller containers will require more frequent watering than large ones.

It is easy to bring container-grown plants inside for the winter, but you can also pot up a few plants from the garden. Cut them back to about 3 to 4 inches tall so they will put out new growth when they become acclimated to the indoor environment. Grow them on the sunniest windowsill you have, preferably with a southern exposure, or put them in a light garden. Keep the soil evenly moist and fertilize them once a month. You can also simply sow fresh seed indoors at the end of the outdoor growing season. Pot the seedlings into individual 4- to 6-inch containers and your students can enjoy fresh basil all winter harvested from your windowsill.

Preparing and Caring
Find a site. Select a garden location that receives full sun-at least six hours (or more) daily. Although herbs are not very fussy, they do need a light, fertile soil with good drainage. Amend your soil by digging in about a 2-inch layer of peat moss and compost before planting. This is particularly important if your soil is mostly clay.

Transplant. Choose a cloudy, calm day or late afternoon to transplant basil plants so they can settle in before they have to contend with the drying effects of sun and wind. It is very important to plant at the right time, which means not too early in the season. Water the soil in the containers first, then carefully lift each plant out, keeping as much soil around the roots as possible to minimize moisture loss. If they don't come out easily and you need to handle the plants, do so by their leaves, not their stems. (Set the plants in the ground at the same depth they were growing in the pots.) If you started plants in peat pots, set the pots below the soil line-they have a tendency to dry out quickly when exposed to the air.

Space most plants 10 to 12 inches apart, dwarf basils, 8 to 10 inches apart, and larger basils up to 20 inches apart. Water the plants immediately after setting them in the ground.

Keep 'Em Growing. Like most herbs, basils don't require much maintenance. In sandy or infertile soil, fertilize basil plants for continuous growth. If you added organic matter before planting, you may not need to fertilize basil. Basil plants need about an inch of water a week.

Although the flower spikes are attractive, you might want to keep them pinched back, since they will deplete the plants' energy resulting in fewer leaves. The leaves have the best flavor-the highest concentration of essential oils-when they are harvested before the plants flower. Throughout the summer, pinch (then use) leaves by removing 4 or more leaves with a piece of stem just above a pair of lower leaves. The plant will produce new shoots at that point. Toward the end of the season, you can cut the whole plants.

Watch for pests. Challenge your students to be keen observers. They may find a few aphids or Japanese beetles that are basil buffs. Wash aphids off the plants with a strong spray of water from the garden hose. Pick or knock Japanese beetles off into a jar of soapy water and discard.

Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungus that causes yellowing of foliage, discoloration of the stems, reduced height, and eventual wilting of the entire plant. Be sure to check the seed packet to see if you have Fusarium tested seed. The best cure is prevention. Because it can overwinter in the soil, don't plant basil in the same location every year. Avoid excessive watering and provide proper drainage to reduce the spread of Fusarium wilt.

A Place in the Garden
Thematic schoolyard projects such as medieval herb gardens, living pizzas, or Italian and Asian gardens wouldn't be complete without at least a few basil plants. And basil is also as ornamental as it is edible. Consider putting a few plants in a vegetable plot in the center of a bed of red- and green-leaf lettuces, or edging a bed of tomatoes, for instance. Use both the green- and purple-leaved varieties in borders combined with perennials such as coral bells sedum, dusty miller, and blue salvia, or annuals such as snapdragons, nicotiana, French marigolds, and petunias. The naturally round dwarf basil 'Spicy Globe' makes a great garden edging. Some gardeners believe that basil lends itself to "companion planting" because the scent of its essential oils acts as a natural pest repellent. Many people plant it with tomatoes, for instance, because it repels whiteflies and hornworms that love to dine on tomato plant leaves.

Activities for Growing Classrooms