we just pick the flower buds off as they form, the basil is still usable.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Yep, just keep pinching off the tips, preferably before they begin to bloom, and cutting some branches back. If you want it for mid-summer then start more seeds every 2 weeks so you have it in various stages of growth rather than just the oldest that is already ready to bloom..

Dave

Yes, picking basil buds is what has been part of my regular basil drill. They really come fast.

But what I'm wondering is if there is some way to discourage bolting. That is, the enormous energy that these plants put in to making buds, that I pick off and throw away, I'd sure rather have going into making leaves. More water? High N fertilizer top dressing? Some shade?

I agree that just starting new plants is a good way of keeping the plants young. I have not done that before, but if there isn't a way to make the plants bigger, I'll harvest earlier, and just put in a second crop.

I'm with you daninthedirt. There has to be a method or cultivar that makes basil tip snipping less of a need/chore. The last thing I need is one more thing that I HAVE to do. The best that I have come up with on my own is to rotate in the huge $2.99 basil plants from Trader Joes. I can't go from seed to plate fast enough otherwise, to swap basil plants in and out without a high degree of planning and coordination. But I've got to have copious amounts of basil in the summer.

I love basil and I especially love making pesto. I have had a similar problem. I grow a couple large pots of it started about three weeks apart, and i pinch the tops agggresively so they are pretty bushy. When the flowers start showing fast and furious on the older one, I cut all the plants in that pot down to the first set of leaves. They will grow back full size in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I make pesto from the cuttings using only olive oil and basil leaves and freeze it in small containers. I can pull them out and add the garlic, parmesan and pine nuts when I'm ready to use it. By the time the first pot has grown back, the second pot is ready to be mowed down. This way I get enough basil for summer use and usually have enough in the freezer to last through winter. Combining an herb with olive oil and freezing it also turns out to be a good way to preserve a number of different herbs that don't dry well, like tarragon and dill.

These are in the ground. Full sun after noon.

Three foot tall basil? Mine probably get to two feet before I get tired picking off buds. Now, here in 8b, we get several weeks of over a hundred degree temperatures in mid-summer, so that's a pretty strong signal to the basil that it's time to make seeds.

I always just plant regular sweet basil. This year, it looks to be "Genovese Italian". I do not want an alternatively flavored basil, because I don't want alternatively flavored pesto. Cinnamon pesto? Ugh.

My soil is pretty good, but this year I'll probably use an extra layer of mulch. I'm tempted to throw a bit of lawn fertilizer on for a nitrogen jolt in June, and see what happens.

Ohiofem, that's a really interesting strategy. By cutting them way back you're essentially harvesting most of the plant, but leaving the base of the plant to produce a second crop. That's easier than pulling the whole thing and replacing with a new plant. I'm assuming that, with regard to making lots of buds, what's left of the plant behaves as a new plant, rather than an old one. I don't want to cut one back to the first set of leaves, and have it respond by just pushing out buds!

With regard to making pesto, I make them in ice cube trays. The cubes just get stored in plastic bags. Drop a couple of cubes in your hot pasta, and in a few minutes you're ready to go.

Well, I didn't make a scientific study of it. But it did seem that cutting back that much rejuvenated the plant and I didn't start seeing flowers again until it began to bush out quite a bit. I do remember the stems got pretty woody with the second harvest, but the taste of the leaves seemed just as good. The trouble with starting new plants in a pot in midsummer is that they seem much more vulnerable to flee beetles and their ilk and require a lot of protection since I refuse to use any pesticides on herbs.

I do not want an alternatively flavored basil,

Aaaa you don't know what you are missing! Lemon basil pesto is fantastic on any pasta and Opal pesto is beautiful in appearance as well as intensely flavored. Or try Lettuce Leaf basil for really big leaves. If you like Mexican flavorings then cinnamon pesto spread on tortillas or as a chip dip is perfect.

Dave

I'm with the original poster in not preferring differently flavored pesto... However, you might try "Perpetual Basil". It's particularly beautiful with variegated leaves, and the flavor is just a plain basil flavor. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the leaves are a little tough, so it wasn't great in salads, for example. I imagine the toughness wouldn't be a problem in pesto, though. I grew it last summer and it never flowered (and I'm in Houston where it's hot). It lasted from spring until first frost.

Also, when my sweet basil flowers, I love to make mini flower bouquets with it - very pretty and fragrant. Cinnamon Basil is particularly beautiful as a cut flower (although I'm not fond of the flavor).

And last, as others have said, Basil doesn't get bitter when it flowers, like lettuce does. Keep on picking...

"Perpetual Basil", eh? When I research this, I do see references to it not easily going to seed. One reference says that it simply doesn't flower. Awesome! As long as it has the flavor of regular basil, this might be the ticket.

Where do you get it? I don't see seeds for it advertised anywhere.

And yes, my personal experience has been that basil doesn't get bitter when it flowers, or at least buds, but there is a longstanding garden legend that it does.

I am trying red rubin basil this year. It is a beautiful red/purple and is supossed to be a bit spicier than regular basil. I got my seed from parks and every seed I planted germinated just fine, I have always had great luck growing basil and I love to cook with it, can't wait to see how the red rubin turns out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Rubin Basil

My understanding is that perpetual basil is rarely grown from seeds (maybe since it doesn't tend to flower?) but rather from cuttings. I bought my plant at one of the big box stores last year. It was pretty monstrous by the end of the year.

-Julia

That's a good point. If it doesn't flower, seed might be hard to come by! I'll keep a lookout for it.

I now see that "perpetual basil" is sometimes known as "Greek Columnar Basil" (Lamiaceae Ocimum basilicum). These are classified as "perennial basils", and as long as you take them indoors when it freezes outside, they'll keep going. Slick. I see sources on the web where one can buy live plants.

From my understanding, the key thing that makes most plants bolt is soil temperature. When the ground gets warm enough, the plant goes for flowers and seed.

To keep the ground cooler, you can try using white mulch to reflect the sunlight.

Here in 8b, the daily average July/Aug air temperature is about 85-90F. White mulch isn't going to make the ground any cooler than that. Even with no covering, a few inches below the surface, that's pretty much the guaranteed temperature. Of course, you can fry your egg on the black pavement. Now keeping the ground moist will keep the soil temperature around the dew point, which is about 75F, but that involves watering something like twice a day!

There is some talk on the web about "how to keep basil from bolting", which pretty much comes down to trimming off the flowers. (A bit nonsensical, because by the time you have to do that, it's already bolted!) That doesn't work, in my view, because when you trim off the flowers the basil just shoots up new flowers, not new leaves.

If perennial basil tastes good, I'm inclined to go for it. Here in 8b, I'll bet I can keep it alive in the ground overwinter, just like I do with many of my peppers, and can continue propagation with cuttings.

... and, would you believe, third week in April, my regular sweet basil is starting to bolt! Plants are about 8-10 inches high. Sigh. You'd think there is some magic sauce I could sprinkle on it to hold off on that bolting ...

Not to hijack your thread here (sorry!), but there seems to be quite a few basil lovers. Newbie question - how many seedlings do you plant in one pot - say, a 12" pot? Seems like at the garden centers there's a whole bunch of seedlings in a 4" pot, but the directions on the packet say to sow 6" apart in the ground. Thanks. Also - thanks for the ideas on freezing pesto, either complete pesto or just oil and basil. I'm taking notes!

I think this thread has served its purpose, so now we can move along to basil appreciation!

Good question about seedling density. When I start from seed, I put 6-8 seeds in each 4-inch pot. Then I thin to two or three plants, and let those grow to an inch or two in size before putting in the garden on 12-16 inch centers. Two or three plants together end up being a bit bush-like. But if your soil is good, go for it. It's also insurance if one of the plants in the pot bites the dust.

Basil started indoors this way is pretty tolerant of poor lighting. I do my dozen or so pots on a wide window sill that just gets a couple of hours of part sun in the morning. By the time they're big enough to look leggy, it's time to put them in the ground.

That "whole bunch of seedlings in a 4" pot" should be, as daninthedirt said, transplanted into open ground at least his suggested distance, though I prefer 18"-24". In good soil a basil plant will easily grow to 30" high and that much around. If you leave them in the pot that came in, you will get that number of skinny little, stunted plants and probably not harvest as much from all of them put together as you would from one plant properly planted.
If you have no garden space & must use containers, divide the plants (if they are not already too large to do so) and put only 2-3 into a BIG pot--say 2 gallons, using soilless mix and organic fertilizer. Or one into a 12" pot.
If your potted plants are, say, 8-10-12" tall, cut them back by 1/2, plant the bottom half (be sure you leave a couple sets of leaves on that half) and remove all but 2 sets of leaves from the top half. Put those cut stems in water and place the container in bright, indirect light. Within not too many days, you should see roots sprouting. Once the roots are 2-3" long, pot those plants up in more soilless mix.

Stores sell cilantro/coriander in pots like this, too--way overcrowded. Cilantro should really be direct-sown either in open ground or very sparingly in a window box so it has room to really reach its potential. I sow cilantro every few weeks to have a continuous supply. It is a fast-growing, short-lived plant that bolts quickly when stressed or crowded.

Thanks for the info! I've started my basil indoors, but I'm thinking I have way too many seedlings for my couple of 12" pots that I have set aside for basil. I also have parsley, oregano, mint and stevia seedlings, and will direct sow my cilantro. Does the same advice (1 per 12" pot) apply?

Lori -- yes, 1 per 12" should be fine. Once it gets going, the mint likely will quickly fill the pot and spill over the sides but may be cut back frequently. Bear in mind that mint stems will root whenever they touch the ground, and oregano (also a mint family plant) will do the same, if not quite as quickly.

Cilantro also will self-sow easily when you allow a plant to go to seed--which I always do since I use the seeds (now coriander) in salads and cooking as well. And in the fall, late-seeding cilantro will hang out hugging the ground all winter and resume groing in the spring for an early crop. I was surprised when I learned how hardy this plant is!