Basil is one of the most useful herbs to grow at home.
The advantage of growing your own basil is that fresh basil tastes much better than dried or shop bought
In addition you can grow types not available in shops and it’s always available when you need it
In this article I will cover:
Taking them in turn:
1. The best basil to grow for cooking
The type of basil to grow is very much linked to what you would like to eat and the recipes you cook.
We ranked the top 8 basil types in our article ‘best basil to grow‘, based on how easy it is to get the basil type for cooking, how hard it is to grow, etc.
For example the pictured cinnamon basil we rated very highly, but you might not want to grow it if you mainly cook spicy Thai dishes.
As a quick summary:
- Genovese Basil – Ideal for Italian, French or Greek recipes.
- Holy Basil – Ideal to grow if you like cooking spicy Thai dishes.
- Lemon Basil – Ideal for South Asian or North East African Dishes.
- Thai Basil – Ideal for Thai, Laos or Vietnamese Recipes
- Red Rubin basil – Ideal for tomato dishes, salads and especially great in cocktails.
- Cinnamon Basil – Ideal for Mexican or South American recipes
- Lettuce leaf Basil – Often used for sandwiches, pesto and salads.
- Minette Basil – Great for pizzas, pasta and salads.
The links will provide more details on that basil type & example recipes.
2. Should I grow basil from seed or plant
This is very much down to personal preference, time of year and location. Taking them in turn:
2A – Personal preference
Buying a basil plant is a lot easier then growing basil from seed. But on the other hand seeds tend to be a lot cheaper, and you can grow a lot more basil plants. You don’t have to use the seeds at once and simply space the sowing time to provide new plants all year long.
2B. Time of year & Location
If you want to buy a plant then a key element will be time of year and location. For example many garden centres don’t have basil plants available in the autumn or winter. Similarly the type of basil they sell will vary depending on our country and location. On the other hand basil seeds tend to be available throughout the year, and can often be ordered online.
3. How to grow basil using soil or water
If you want to grow basil from seed then there are 2 different ways:
- Grow basil using soil
- Grow basil in water
Taking them in turn:
3a. Grow basil using soil
How to grow basil indoors in soil is very easy and from seed to harvest will only take about 4 to 5 weeks.
Step 1 – Sow and germinate your basil seeds
Yes, you can simply sow your basil seeds in a bit of soil and wait for them to germinate.
However you can get much better results by using 2 easy options:
1a. Soak the seeds in water first
This is probably the easiest way to help you get fast growing results.
All you do is to add the seeds to lukewarm water (I tend to use only 1/2 a packet as that will generate a lot of plants).
The time varies, most ‘experts’ recommend 12 hours but I’ve found 3 to 4 hours gets great results.
Then all I do is use a teaspoon to add a few of the seeds to a seed tray.
1b. Use a heat mat
A seedling heat mat is not very expensive – all you do is place it underneath your seed tray.
It will make a real difference to how fast your seeds will sprout and grow.
Does it work ?
The video below shows the difference a heat mat makes in just 1 week
Step 2 – Transplant the plants onto pots
When the basil plants have at least 3 leaves transplant them into larger pots.
Ideally when transplanting leave 38 cm between plants
Because I don’t have much space I will put 2 or 3 plants in a pot – like the red rubin basil pictured on the right. Maybe a bit squashed but they do tend to grow nicely.
However there are 2 important items to focus on: light and heat. More details further down the page.
3b. Grow basil in water
It is very easy to grow basil indoors without soil – and the ideal herb suited for hydroponics or aquaponics.
Hydroponics is where you grow basil in water, in aquaponics the water will also contain fish. (Where the fish will feed the basil, all you do is feed the fish)
If you want to grow basil in water then all you do is:
- Sow your seeds in rockwool planting cubes
- Make sure you keep them moist
- When they start to germinate put the cubes in your hydroponic or aquaponic system
- And then grow as above, making sure you provide light 12 hours per day.
A key advantage of growing basil in water (using a hydroponic system) is that it tends to grow faster, and it’s very easy to look after.
4. How to take keep basil alive indoors
If you grow basil outdoors then a bit of sunshine and regular watering is easy.
However if you want to grow basil year round in your kitchen, living room, etc. Then it’s important to realise that basil loves sunshine and warmth.
4A. How to let basil grow indoors without sunlight
If you have a lovely south facing window sill with plenty of light (even in the winter) then you will probably have a happy little herb.
It needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.
Which is why if (like me) you don’t get much light in the winter then a grow light will really help. You can either use a freestanding one or simple growing light bars.
Both work and will not only help your basil grow faster from seed, but will help them thrive and grow when you start using them.
4B. Basil loves warmth and humidity
Basil loves warmth:
- Keep it in a room that stays above 70°F (21°C).
- Avoid drafts from windows or air conditioners.
- Mist the leaves occasionally or place the pot on a tray of wet pebbles to boost humidity.
4c. Cut your basil leaves
Once your basil reaches 6–8 inches tall:
- Pinch off leaves from the top to encourage bushiness.
- Avoid letting it flower—snip off buds to keep the leaves tender and flavourful.
Regular harvesting not only gives you fresh herbs but keeps the plant thriving.
5. Where to buy Basil seeds or plants
The nice thing is that there are lots of places to buy basil seeds or plants.
The 4 main options are:
5a. Grow basil from supermarket plant
The obvious option is to simply buy a supermarket basil plant (like the supermarket basil pictured).
When you get it the key is to :
- Carefully remove the plant from the pot
- Often it will contain 2 or more plants – just carefully separate them
- Repot them into a larger, soil filled pot.
- And then look after them as above.
However – it is important to realise that most supermarket basil plants will be either Genovese or Sweet basil.
5b. Get a basil plant from a garden centre
This is the other option – however please bear in mind my comment about availability above.
5c. Get a basil plug plant – to grow basil indoors without soil
The clickandgrow system is ideal for basil to grow indoors without sunlight, and to grow basil in water.
Their indoor garden works just like a capsule coffee machine.
- But instead of coffee pods, use biodegradable plant pods.
- More than 75 + different plant varieties.
- Automated watering, light and nutrients controlled by App
- More details on the ClickandGrow website
Please note that they do have over 75 different plant varieties – with many different basil types.
5d. Where to get basil seeds
Basil seed are available to buy online – follow the links (to Amazon) below for more details on each type.
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