Hey, a couple of my family members wanted me to get them some basil, also they asked me a question, that's was "can I set basil outside?"? I said yes, just wanna double check - I only said yes under the condition of the weather providing the weather is 4c +
Jordan, Basil is a very tender herb. It does not like cool or damp. Set it out when the weather is nice (as in shirt sleeve weather). Mine does not even do well in the greenhouse over the winter as it doesn't get enough sunshine or heat here. I keep the greenhouse around 50f to keep the plants growing slow and stocky. The basil withers away in this environment.
I bought some basil for a recipe and my wife accidentally put it in the refrigerator. Oops! I rescued it the next day and put it in it's usual home, a glass of water on the kitchen counter. The remaining leaves from the last batch stared at the new bunch slowly making an attempt at a recovery. The first few leaves were used in the next recipe, giving the others more of a chance at the water. Yes, basil does well if it bypasses the refrigerator and finds itself in a glass of water. Smells nice too. Jerry
I agree with Netty, Basil likes it hot, be sure to trim it back before it gets to tall so it grows bushy
My experience with Basil has been to think of it as a summer garden herb. I have a long growing season so I have it from May until the first frost. I start it indoors (Jiffy pellets) in early February. I often have volunteers come up in the garden. In the summer, I'll choose two or three plants and keep those going.