How to grow micro basil - it's easy, low cost and tastes amazing!

Normally only seen in top end, fancy restaurants. A real showstopper.

A simple tomato and mozzarella salad is transformed into a special dish with baby basil.

Basil is the perfect herb for summer salads, pizzas and pasta dishes.

A quick and novel way to grow basil is as microgreens (small seedlings) or baby leaves (small plants just a little larger than microgreens). These look super pretty - particularly if you grow a mix of coloured varieties - and have a delicious and particularly intense basil taste. Rarely seen in the shops, chefs source micro basil from specialist suppliers and pay top dollar for them.

Luckily basil microgreens aren’t difficult to grow. However, you do need more seeds than the standard sized seed packs - and I share some ideas below on how to buy large amounts of seed cost effectively. The other easy way to grow basil is from supermarket plants and I write about that here.

Old mushroom crates like this are deeper than conventional seed trays and better for growing strong, healthy basil leaves. They also help keep costs low.

How to grow micro and baby leaf basil - step by step

1. Fill a tray with a good quality multipurpose compost / potting mix and water it. You might use a seed tray, an old mushroom tray, or a fruit crate. It is easier to grow strong healthy plants in a slightly deeper tray like the mushroom tray pictured above. If the tray is full of holes, line it first with newspaper so the soil doesn’t fall out.

2. Sow the seeds close - no more than 1cm / 1/2 inch apart - and cover with a thin layer of compost, then give another another light water, ideally with a fine rose on a watering can, and put them somewhere warm to germinate. A windowsill inside is perfect.

3. Once the seeds have germinated, move into a place where they will get at least 3 or 4 hours sun. I usually grow mine on a windowsill inside, but in warm summers, outside is OK, too. Basil is a warm loving plant - so bring it inside on cooler days or nights. Apart from in mid summer, it is generally easiest to keep it on a windowsill inside.

4. Water it regularly and keep the compost damp, like a rung out flannel.

5. Once the seeds have germinated (usually in 5 to 14 days), you can start removing and eating some of the seedlings. Pick them evenly from across the tray, giving the remaining seedlings more space to grow. This process is known as ‘thinning out’.

6. Keep thinning out the tray every three or four days. The key is to do this regularly, otherwise the basil plants will quickly overcrowd each other, lose vigour and sometimes flavour. If you want to, you can also replant some of the seedlings into a larger deeper pot, and grow them into full sized basil plants.

Thinning out basil plants to eat - you will harvest progressively larger leaves over a few weeks. Don’t leave too long between thinnings or the plants will lose vigour and the flavour can be compromised, too.

The basil plants will taste at their best for just a few weeks. So pick, eat and enjoy the leaves while you can. You might be surprised at how often and how much you can pick.

In summary, basil needs warmth to grow well (it won’t be happy if left outside on cold nights or windy days), plenty of light and regular watering. Keep thinning out the leaves to make space for continued growth.

Three ways to source lots of seeds

As microgreens and baby leaves require lots of seeds, you need a cost effective way to buy large packs. Here are three options:-

i) A fun one is too look for a large, mixed pack of basil. This one from Seeds of Italy contains twelve varieties of basil (including green and red varieties, and lemon and cinnamon basil) and over 6,000 seeds. This is enough to grow at least six trays like the one below. The mix looks pretty - and you will also have fun acquainting yourself with the flavour of twelve different basil varieties!

Baby basil leaves grown from a Seeds of Italy mixed pack growing in an old mushroom tray line with newspaper.

ii) For even better value, look in the spice section of your local Asian store where basil seeds are often sold as ‘Tukmaria’. The only catch is that you won’t know what variety of basil you’re buying! I did once get Italian Genovese basil, but most often it’s Thai basil - which is lovely if that it is what you want but not if you are looking for a more traditional basil flavour. It’s a fun thing to try in any case - and 100g of basil seeds is enough to grow many, many trays of micro basil, probably around a hundred. So each tray will only cost you a few pence to grow.

Spice packs are great value - but the basil variety is unknown!

ii) Look for an online seed merchant that sells larger packs for commercial growers. For example, in the UK, I’ve bought 5g packs of lemon basil and dark opal basil from Moles seeds - enough to grow several trays with pretty green and purple basil leaves.

If kept in a cool, dark, dry place, a pack of basil seeds will usually last three to five years. So, you won’t have to sow them all in one year - but try to use them in two years to be more sure of good germination.

Why grow micro basil?

In summary, basil is one of the finest and most useful herbs. This is a fun project for summer because it isn’t difficult, it’s almost impossible to buy micro basil, and the leaves look stunning sprinkled over your salads or any other dish - a real showstopper. And, they taste vibrant and amazing, too!