Basil.

Conditions at a glance

• Light 6+ h sun (or a bright sill)
• Warmth ≈ 18–27 °C · not frost-hardy; wants nights above 10 °C
• Humidity Moderate; not fussy
• Water Keep lightly moist, never waterlogged
• Pot size ~15–20 cm · 2–4 L per plant
• First harvest ~3–4 weeks after planting out

Grow it in your space

1. Give it a warm, bright spot — a sunny windowsill is ideal.
2. A small pot with drainage holes and fresh potting mix; don't crowd the roots.
3. Water the soil (not the leaves) when the surface starts to dry.
4. Once it's ~15 cm tall, pinch the top above a pair of leaves to make it bush out.
5. Pinch off any flower buds — flowering slows leaf production.

How to tell it's ready

• Six or more true leaves — that's when the plant can spare some. Pick from the top, not the bottom — topping makes it bush out.
• Stems still soft and green — pick while the growth is tender. Woody, brown-based stems mean that part is past its best.
• Flower buds forming — pinch them off and harvest more heavily. Once it flowers the plant stops putting energy into leaves and the flavour thins.
• Morning, before the sun is high — the aromatic oils are at their strongest early; the same leaf picked at midday tastes flatter.

Watch-outs

• Damping off — seedlings collapse at the base — too wet; let the surface dry and give airflow.
• Downy mildew — yellowing leaves with grey underneath — improve airflow, try resistant varieties.
• Leggy and pale — reaching, sparse growth — it wants more light.
• Bolting — shooting up to flower — pinch the buds and harvest more often.