The basil has officially died :( I did all in my power to protect this tender leafed seedling. When I first realized the basil was getting too much sun which was outright burning the tender leaves I went straight away to giving it some more shade and more warmth instead of direct sunlight, this seemed to considerably slow down the burning of the leaves and dare I say even stopped this from happening, but then one afternoon I came out and found that the basil had just withered away. I suppose this is what I get for trying to start the basil outside right away instead of adhering to the suggestion of growing it indoors first.
So, now I've planted a new basil seed indoors, where the light and outside natural forces isn't so harsh.
Sad I am that the basil didn't make it, however, I'd be lying if I said I was at all surprised, this has happened to me before with the basil, I find them quite hard to grow, they never seem to get any bigger than a seedling before they just give-up on what could have been.
So with a newly planted basil seed indoors I'm looking forward with a renewed sense of hope to seeing the new little seedling pop-up in about a week and hopefully keeping them alive this time! In the mean time I've read-up on basil in my little handy growing book to keep everything fresh and new in my mind come basil seedling time. Here are some interesting general facts that should help me loads, and if you're having the same trouble with the basil growing it should help you too.
'Keep the soil moderately moist, but allow it to dry out ever so slightly between watering. If there is one thing basil doesn't like, it's sitting in cold, soggy soil. Yet for a sun- and heat-loving plant, it is surprisingly temperamental about light. It took me years to work out that too much midday sun can burn the leaves, especially when it comes to the soft and tender varieties.
For this reason, tall, vining tomato plants make a perfect partner in the garden as well as on the plate. Their leaves provide a bit of dappled shade, and the basil, in turn, protects the tomato's roots and repels pests.
Most problems come down to the weather and growing conditions.
Pull out the entire plant if it continuously looks droopy or turns brown or yellow (or both), and avoid growing basil in that spot again.
The key to starting a basil crop is patience. It's a fickle herb that hails from warm parts of the world and does not adapt well to cold, wet weather. Basil is always the very last plant I put outdoors; I'll plant it only after nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees fahrenheit.' -Easy Growing, Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces by Gayla Trail
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