Baffled By Basil

(Just move this from the edible group)
I am growing a small planter of basil on a kitchen windowsill.They are now 250mm tall and the biggest leaves are about 50mm long ( thats 10" and 2" in fahrenheit :D ). The leaves smell fantastic and I am looking forward to my cheese tomato and basil sandwich.:p
My question is how do I know when the leaves are ready for picking ? Do I just pick the leaves off or should I cut the stem back to the next node ? Advice appreciated.

TIA

 

Smiffy

At 50mm, the leaves are definitely big enough to use. You can take leaves separately or pinch out the ends of shoots (with all their leaves) just above a node which will encourage side branching. I find that basil is quite short lived and pinching out keeps it a better shape.

Enjoy the plants you've brought on so well now to the full and plant some more seed straightaway for late summer use?

 

Thanks for the advice Flinty , I have just ordered a packet of basil seeds from Ebay - and will plant for late summer. The ones I have, have taken exactly 9 weeks to reach this stage - and I got nearly 100% germination. So I will just sow as many seeds as i need.
I know its like saying how long is a piece of string , but as you say the basil is short lived how long approx should a plant live once its matured ?

 

Harry

I reckon once a basil plant has reached sufficient size to give useful leaves, it has a maximum productive life of about 3 months. You might keep it going longer than that but the leaves won't be at their best. In particular, once it has flowered, the plant goes down hill. At that point, I administer euthanasia. It's only an annual, after all. It has a short life but oh such a warm, aromatic and tasty one.

 

Thanks Flinty and Shiney , I will try both methods - seeds and cutting - to get a late summer crop. I can even make my own pesto rub for the BBQ

cheers

 

When you buy pots of Basil from Supermarkets etc, there are far to many in the small pot. I always split them and when a reasonable height pinch out the growing tips..so they bush up.

If you get an overabundance of leaves...do what I do..chop them up and put them into ice cube trays. Freeze them and then bag them. They freeze great for stews, stuffing chickens and lots of other uses.

Tis a lovely plant I think and goes really well on tomato or salad butties, home made pizza loads of things. :thumb:

 

Thanks tweaky , buying in pots from the supermarket is an excellent idea. I will buy some later this summer for my second crop.