I have grown some great basil this year, found a nice spot in the garden. It produced some great leaves and pesto the only problem is the plant is single stem so not as many leaves as i had hoped. should i have pinched out the main growth at start of season to force new branches? if so when do you do it ? i.e. after first 3 sets of leaves? also do you do it a second time thanks
Yes, frequent harvesting of small branches will help your basil bush out. When you see two tiny, tiny green leaves at the base of a branch, or at the base of other leaves, you can nip above those two tiny leaves. They will develop into small branches with leaves. If you see green bumps on the main stem, you can cut it back to that point. Keep pinching off new growth to harvest leaves, and you'll have a basil bush soon.
Also, basil does not like to get cold at all at night, and will stunt its further growth. I keep it inside at night until it is over 50 degrees at night, this year it was not until the middle of July, it was so cold. Basil should be pinched back just above a leaf, then it will get bushier. I pinch it back all the time, whenever I harvest any during the summer.
