I grow 'Genovese' basil (in Ligurian language, baxaicò or baxeicò) which is one of the most popular cultivars of sweet basil for culinary use, particularly for bruschetta and the traditional Genovese pesto sauce. Other types include purple basil (less sweet than common basil), lemon and lime basil (wonderful citrus flavors) and Thai basil (spicy licorice flavor). The most common type of basil is sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum). Basil is very easy to grow in Pennsylvania's warm summer months and will give even the novice gardener much satisfaction to grow and use. I use it to make homemade pesto sauce for pasta, and I love it in summer sandwiches in place of mayonnaise or mustard. Basil tastes great in Italian dishes and is a key ingredient in many other ethnic cuisines. No one likes to thin their plants but trust me, a poor harvest will be more devastating than killing a few now.Basil is a favorite herb to grow every summer. Thinning plants is never easy but it must be done! Overall the best advice for thinning plants is simply, be ruthless. Check out this post to learn about when we thin corn plants.Water your plants after thinning to ensure any that may have been disturbed re-establish well.To avoid damaging other plants roots as you thin you can just use scissors to cut your plants off as close to the ground as possible rather than pulling them.If your plants have to compete with each other for nutrients they’ll be less productive and more prone to disease and pest issues. While you can sometimes grow plants closer together than recommended if you are meticulous in your soil management and add a lot of amendments it’s not a always a good idea. Properly spaced plants will get enough nutrients. In some areas you may be able to provide plenty of water to thinly spaced plants however if you experience any droughts it’s always better to have a safety buffer. Plants that are properly thinned will get adequate water. You want to keep your best plants for a productive harvest and if you choose to save seed you’ll know you’re saving from plants that performed the best from the start. When you thin plants you should thin any that show any signs of weakness or disease. Thinning also helps ensure healthy plants. If plants don’t have plenty of air circulation they can be prone to pest and disease issues. It ensures plants have proper air circulation. Avoiding thinning will leave you with spindly carrots and thumbnail size beets. For example, root vegetable harvests will suffer tremendously without optimum space. Some vegetables can be grown in small areas if they get enough other resources such as plentiful water and nutrients however there’s always a limit. Thinning ensures growing plants have adequate space. As plants grow they compete for resources and this can weaken them and hurt your harvests. Ultimately though plants will need to be thinned. Thinning is important for plants to grow well but in the beginning competing with other plants can make your seedlings more vigorous. Secondly many plants thrive with a little competition in the beginning. First and most obviously, starting more seeds will ensure you get a harvest even if you have less than ideal germination. While you may be tempted to plant to your desired spacing and avoid thinning altogether this is not ideal. However it is an incredibly important step if you want a good harvest. Thinning isn’t the most labor intensive job but it feels sad to kill plants I’ve worked hard to keep healthy. There’s nothing I dread more than having to thin my seedlings. Everyone complains about weeding but that may not be the worst gardening job.
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