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easy · windowsill
The fastest way to prove to yourself that growing food works. From seed to first harvest in about six weeks on a sunny windowsill.
Ocimum basilicum · Lamiaceae
Supermarket basil is grown fast under glass and sold in an overcrowded pot, which is why it collapses within a week. One plant grown properly will crop for a whole summer.
Day 0
Fill a pot with damp compost, scatter seed thinly on top, and cover with about 5mm of compost. Basil needs warmth to germinate, not depth.
Days 1-7
Cover the pot with a clear bag or propagator lid and keep it somewhere around 20C. Remove the cover as soon as seedlings appear.
Week 2
Once each seedling has two true leaves, keep the strongest and remove the rest. Crowded basil never thrives — this step is the one most people skip.
Week 3-4
When the plant has three pairs of leaves, pinch out the very top pair. This forces it to branch sideways instead of growing into a single stalk.
Week 6 onward
Always pick from the top down, taking whole stem tips just above a pair of leaves. Never strip the lower leaves — those are the plant's engine.
Cause: Not enough light — the plant is stretching toward the window.
Fix: Move to the brightest spot you have and pinch out the growing tips to force bushier growth.
Cause: Overwatering. Basil roots rot quickly in sodden compost.
Fix: Let the top 2cm dry out before watering again, and empty any saucer after watering.
Cause: Heat stress, or simply the plant reaching maturity.
Fix: Pinch flower spikes off as they appear. Leaf flavour drops sharply once it flowers.
Tomato, Pepper
Before you eat anything you grow: be certain of the identification. This guide describes basil specifically — it is not a way to confirm that an unknown plant is safe. Never eat a plant on the strength of an app alone.