Basil is well known to connoisseurs of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine - it is the basis of pesto sauce, in recipes for many varieties of pizza and various salads it is difficult to do without this product.
In our country, he has long been successful grown in summer cottages next to familiar cultures from childhood, characteristic of our climate zone. He received well-deserved popularity in our area thanks to his three main advantages: it brings considerable benefits to the body, it is quite easy to grow, and it can also serve as a spectacular decoration of the interior.
In fact, the basil comes from Asia, from where it was already brought to Europe. In Asian cuisine, the leaves and seeds of this spice are also widely used.
Basil is easy grow in an apartmentin the kitchen or on the warm balcony. This is a fairly unpretentious plant, compared to other herbs. After planting in a pot, at a temperature above 10ºС, the seeds germinate well and give sprouts.
Sprouts grow into small herbaceous plants that produce a lot of leaves and can bloom at the end of summer.
Basil plants during the heat, in direct sunlight on a windowsill or balcony, quickly wither, but after watering they easily restore water balance. That is why pots with basil can be left with a calm soul for the time of departure or vacation, you just need to rearrange them in the shade and water well beforehand.
Regularly tearing leaflets for use in food, you can observe how quickly new ones grow. Thus, the basil bushes in the apartment perform two tasks - as a spice and as an ornamental plant. The stems are constantly growing in length, new beautiful leaves appear at the top, so the basil looks good in pots on the balcony or terrace.
We are well aware of two varieties - purple basil, which has a brighter aroma, and green, with a more sophisticated smell. As a result of pollination, when growing from seeds, for example, green basil, you can suddenly find that part of the leaves turns purple, which makes them even more interesting in terms of decor.
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Like any spice, basil has a number of useful properties and stimulates metabolism. It contains essential oils that provide a peculiar aroma, vitamins, carotene and rutin.
Since ancient times, basil has been used as a medicinal plant. Useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system. It is contraindicated for pregnant women, as well as people with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Basil on the windowsill and its cultivation from seed from scratch
Planting basil seedlings in 2017
Basil: growing from seeds in the open ground