3 Things Your Basil Needs In October To Keep Growing All Winter

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Fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum) is one of the delights of summer, especially if it comes straight from your garden. But, as tender annuals, your basil plants are not going to survive the chilly temperatures of fall and definitely won't make it through a freezing winter. That is, not unless you take action now. If you'd like to overwinter basil, October is the time to give the plant a cozy spot indoors. Your plants will need three things: a location that gets adequate sunlight, a container to grow in, and enough water to keep on producing leaves for the next few months.

Before you bring basil inside for the winter season, decide whether you'd like to grow it in soil or take cuttings of it to grow basil easily in water. Either option will provide you with plenty of the tasty, peppery leaves to get you through the freezing months.

One thing you need to know: Basil is an annual plant, which means it completes its life cycle within a growing season. Overwintering it will give it a few more months of life, but the plant will eventually go to seed and die. Once spring's warmer temperatures arrive again, you'll want to start fresh in your garden with either a new plant or by growing basil from seed.

Basil is a plant to take cuttings from before winter arrives, if you'd like to grow it indoors. If you've been growing it outdoors in a container, you could technically bring the whole thing inside this October, but since a mature basil plant will be near the end of its life cycle, you're likely to have more success by taking a cutting or two from it instead. Find a stem that doesn't have flowers and snip off a length of 6 inches. Remove all but the top two sets of leaves and place the cutting in water or in a container with potting mix.

Basil needs full sun, usually about six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. In the winter, and indoors, that can be hard to achieve. If possible, put the plant in a window that faces south to give it the most sun exposure. If that's not an option, place the plant under a grow light, such as SANSI Grow Light Bulbs for Indoor Plants, for up to 12 hours a day. Along with picking a spot that gets enough light, look for a place that's out of the direction of the heating vents or drafts from doors.

Since your home is likely going to be very dry (thanks, central heating) during the winter, overwintered basil will need regular watering if it's growing in soil. Water when the soil is dry about an inch down. If you're growing the plant hydroponically, change the water every few days.