- 1). Select a well draining area of your garden that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Plan on sowing the seeds into the soil after the last frost of spring, which for much of Florida is February or March. Wait until temperatures at night do not dip below 55 degrees F.
- 2). Till the soil thee weeks before you plant the basil. Set the tiller to a medium depth of six to eight inches. Apply a two inch layer of compost to the soil. Use a heavy garden rake to mix the compost into the soil thoroughly.
- 3). Sow the basil seeds 1/2 inch deep into the soil. Place two or three seeds into each hole. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of soil. Space the holes six inches apart. If you grow more than one row, space the rows 12 to 24 inches apart. Lightly water the soil once you plant all of your seeds. The seeds typically germinate within seven days.
- 4). Thin the seedlings. Wait until the seedling have two pairs of leaves, and are three inches tall, then thin the rows so the plants are between 10 to 20 inches apart. Larger species of basil plants will require more room, while the dwarf species do not grow as large and can be grouped more closely.
- 5). Water the basil an average of one inch per week. You do not need to fertilize the soil, especially if you added compost to it before planting the basil.
- 6). Harvest the leaves. Pick the mature leaves when they are a deep green color, normally within 50 to 60 days from planting. Once your basil plants are fully grown, you may have to pick the leaves every few days to prevent the plants from overrunning the entire garden.
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