Want to know how you can keep your basil fresh? Looking for some tips to grow healthy and flavourful basil in your garden? Well, it’s summer, and basil leaves are in high demand because of their scent and flavor.
In this article, we will share some information regarding the tips on storing the basil with proper methods and some tips regarding harvesting the basil leaves properly. So let’s get started
What are the benefits of growing basil at home?
Basil usually goes in the summer season and they are usually expensive at the grocery store because they are only grown in the summer season. So if you are planning to grow basil at home, then you save some money of yours and also enjoy the fresh and organic basil flavor.
Also, basil has many health benefits like:
- It contains some antioxidants which help in protecting the white blood cells in the body.
- It helps in dealing with inflammation.
- According to some studies and research, it is found that basil has the property to fight cancer.
- It also helps in strengthening the immune system of the body.
- It acts as a natural adaptogen as these natural adaptogens help in coping up with stress.
Now imagine, if you decided to grow basil in your garden, then you would be able to enjoy all these benefits anytime and also you wouldn’t have to worry about the quality too. you can get all the organic and fresh basil leaves from your garden.
How to Harvest Basil seeds?
The basil plants get pollinated with the help of flying insects. If you place different varieties together, then there are chances that they will cross-pollinate. To avoid this situation, place the seed in an isolated area.
The seeds of the basil are contained in the flower head. The black seeds are very tiny so you have to use a fine colander to collect the seeds. After collecting the flowers, you need to let them dry and place them in a warm location. Crush the flower in the colander and you will get basil seeds in the colander.
How to save basil seeds?
If we talk about long does the basil seeds last, then with the proper storage facility and right temperature, you can use these seeds for almost 5 years. To store the basil seeds properly, you need to follow these steps:
- Take a plastic bag and stored the dried seeds in them. You can also take a glass jar.
- Put the container in the freezer for one or two days so that all the insects or pests available in the seeds will die.
- Make sure that you use an airtight plastic bag or container so that there won’t be any air in the container while storing the seeds.
- Keep the seeds in a place where there is minimal light.
To grow the basil leaves, you just need to sow the seed in the spring season and keep the soil moist and transparent. After two weeks, you will be able to see the flower in the basil plant.
