Growing Basil in Lucena City

Posted on May 10, 2015

Basil is one of the best herbs to grow when you’re a first-time gardener. You can grow them easily in pots or directly in the ground. You can also let the soil dry-out a little before watering again, about 2-4 days for me with the help of mulch depending on the weather and location.

When I was first starting a garden, I was told not to grow the seedlings directly under full sun saying it gets too hot in Lucena, especially if they will be planted in pots. But with big pots and ample mulch, my Sweet Basil plants grew well under full sun in our balcony facing south-west, taking in the strong mid-day to late afternoon sun. My Thai Basil plants also did well in the ground under about 4 hours of afternoon sun. Though they didn’t have any mulch.

Pruning Basil

Basil plants need to be pruned regularly to get bushy plants. You can prune your Basil plant by using pruning shears or by simply pinching them, although pinching can put a dark stain on your nail. While you can basically snip anywhere, it is best to cut Basil just slightly above the two set of leaves below the basil leaves that you will harvest like in the photo. A stem will grow under those two leaves.  It’s also recommended to harvest in the morning, although I tend to harvest them right before cooking or serving.

Pruning also prevents basil plants from flowering too soon. Usually when the weather gets hot, basil plants produce flowers faster than usual. A flowering basil will stop producing leaves and will focus its energy into the seeds before it eventually dies.

Uses of Basil

Bushy plants let you harvest a lot of fresh Basil throughout the year. You can add them in your recipes like I do in my favorite Pesto Tuna Pasta, and you can give them as food to your pets, if you have any. My parakeets go crazy over Thai Basil but please do your research first and check if they are safe for your pet. You can also freeze your extra Basil for future use.

Basil plants are great companion to most crops like tomatoes and peppers. Basil flowers are also attractive for bees and other beneficial insects in the garden. Sweet basils have white flowers and Thai basils have purple flowers. There are other varieties of basil as well, like Lemon basil, Holy basil and Purple basil.

Propagating Basil Plants

Bees and other beneficial insects are attracted to Basil flowers. Sweet basils have white flowers and Thai basils have purple flowers. There are other varieties of basil, like Lemon basil, Holy basil and Purple basil, but those two are the only ones I tried.

If you want to save seeds for sowing, you will find them in the pods after the flower petals fall off. It’s easier to cut the flowering stems and place them in a brown bag then shake so the black seeds fall out.

You can also take cuttings of Basil to grow another Basil plant. You will need to remove the lower leaves of the cuttings, leaving a few top leaves before placing it in a glass with water. You will find roots a few weeks later, just be sure to change or add water every day or two before planting them into soil.

Of course, it’s still best and probably easier to grow a lot of them from seed.

Where to buy

There are seedlings for sale at SM (front entrance) a few times a year. And I haven’t seen herbs for sale anywhere else in the city. If you know another one or two, then please let me know in the comments. And in case you’re going to Los Baños, there are lots of organic herbs and plants that you can purchase there, most of them sold for less than half of their price in Lucena.