basil parsley and cilantro help

[RayR]

Originally Posted by peebee

You know, I've never read anywhere about spacing for basil. When you plant from seed, the seedlings of course are pretty close together, and I usually put them in the ground haphazardly. What is the best spacing when you have a bunch growing close together in a pot, whether you want to grow in a pot or not? When you buy from a store, they come pretty much bunched together too.

Thanks.

I've found that plants bunched together won't get very high or bushy, which may be fine for a windowsill garden. Outside in the ground, I space them about 1ft. or more apart depending on the variety. In smaller containers outside, I plant 1 per pot, in a larger container, I plant 2 sometimes. It depends on the variety, many small leaf basil's have a compact growing habit and can be planted closer together. Large leaf varieties can get quite high and bushy and need the most space between plants to get the best production of leaves.

[Tracydr]

I space my larger basil varieties about 2 feet apart.
They get quite large and I should space them farther apart. I keep them well used but they can get to 3-4 feet tall and just as wide if I let them. About like a determinate tomato.
The more sun, heat, fertilizer, water and the bigger it gets.
The Thai, cinnamon and other narrow leaved varieties won't get that big.

[Dewayne mater]

One thing I can add about growing basil, in my opinion, the green basils (my fav is Genovese) get lighter in color, tougher leaves and more bitter if they get a lot of afternoon summer sun. That may depend on your location and weather patterns. Accordingly, for early plants outs, I chose spots that get the most sun, but as we get into summer, I chose spots that have morning sun that gets shady by 2 p.m. They don't grow as fast, but, they make perfect, tender and delicious leaves.

Dewayne Mater