I’m completely new to growing plants, so please bear with me. I decided to try my hand at gardening, went to the store, bought some basil seeds, and asked how to plant them. The person there told me to sprinkle a bunch into a pot, so that’s what I did.
Now, 9 days later, here’s what it looks like (pictures attached).
I’ve heard that I might need to move some of them into new pots, or they might stay small because there’s not enough room for all of them to grow. I’d really appreciate your advice—what should I do from here?
You’ve planted way too many seeds in that pot. Basil plants need about 12 inches of space each to grow properly. I’d suggest thinning them out. Maybe keep one or two in the pot and try to move the others into separate pots. If you don’t have extra pots, you can just snip the extras near the soil. You can still use the tiny leaves in cooking, like on pizza or in pasta. They’re tasty!
@Zayden
Same here! I harvest mine regularly so they don’t get too big. Here’s a tip: plant three basil and add one flowering plant like a zinnia. The flowers attract good bugs that keep pests away from your basil. Plus, it looks beautiful!
You’re doing great! I’ve been gardening for over 25 years, and your setup looks promising. If you want to save those seedlings, water the pot well and use something like chopsticks or a small fork to carefully move them into their own pots. Leave a few in this pot for microgreens. Regularly harvest by cutting the plant down by a third to keep it growing. If it flowers, save the seeds for next time. Homegrown basil always tastes better than store-bought. Keep going!
This looks fantastic! If repotting each one seems like too much work, you could try scooping a few at a time and planting them in a garden bed or bigger container. Enjoy making pesto later!
Be cautious about advice from store employees—sometimes they don’t know much about plants, especially if they work at a big chain store. Next time, do a quick search online about planting basil. For now, as others said, you’ve got way too many seeds in one pot. Thin them out so the plants have enough room, or they won’t grow well.
Those seedlings are adorable! But you’ll need to transplant most of them soon, or they’ll run out of space and stop growing. Once they have a few more leaves, prune them regularly. Every time you cut a leaf, more will grow back, making the plants bushier.
Yo no puedo matar ninguna planta que ha salido con tanto esfuerzo… así que las trasplanto a macetas más pequeñas. O también las pongo juntas en un recipiente grande, y parece un arbusto pequeño. Incluso hago lo mismo con lechugas, y funciona perfecto.
