Gardener has 'easy' basil trick that will 'double your amount' in no time (2025)

With its distinctive flavour, basil is a popular herb that is added to a range of dishes. The leafy plant is easy to grow at home and one expert has shared a clever pruning trick

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Green-fingered enthusiasts are being let in on a secret that could see their basil yields soar this spring. The aromatic herb, beloved for its punchy flavour in dishes like salads, pasta and pizzas - is not only easy to grow but also offers a thrifty gardening hack.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has dubbed basil "easy" to care for, whether you're starting from seeds indoors or nurturing a pre-potted plant. But the real game-changer comes from a tip shared by ecological vegetable grower Jamie Walton, known as @nettlesandpetals on TikTok, who advises against the common practice of plucking individual leaves.

In a recent TikTok video, Jamie explained: "It can be tempting to do this, but instead you should follow the stem up until you see a node and a node is the point at which the leaves meet the stem."

He demonstrated on his own plant, saying: "At this point you will usually find a couple of new stems forming. So instead of pulling the leaves, you should simply cut just above those nodes."

By doing so, gardeners won't just enjoy a "nice bit" of basil for their immediate culinary needs, but they'll also encourage the growth of "two new stems forming" effectively doubling the harvest potential by June.

"This will result in a far bushier plant that will last a lot longer and produce a lot more," he concluded. His followers were quick to share their reactions, with one admitting: "Oh I'm doing it wrong. I have really tall leggy basil because I just pull leaves."

Another confessed: "I've ripped at my basil with abandon. I wish I'd seen this earlier. Mine is still growing but the stems are so woody." A third fan gushed: "I started doing that and my supermarket plant literally exploded with new leaves."

In another video, the gardening guru shared his top tips for growing basil from a seed, pointing out a common planting error.

He explained: "A mature basil plant needs plenty of water, but as a seedling, it really doesn't. They can easily be overwatered causing issues like oedema, because basil seeds are very small and air is a vital component to the seedlings early development."

Jamie revealed that he uses an open-structured organic seed starting mix, adding extra vermiculite to boost aeration. He continued: "I add this mixture to a pot, then sprinkle in some seeds, and cover them with a very thin layer of compost.

"I then water really well once and leave them somewhere warm to germinate and I won't water again until the leaves start to show.

"Then, I prick them out into their own individual pots and keep watering to a minimum, until they reach a few inches tall. At which point they can be planted out and watering can be increased."

According to the RHS, basil flourishes in a greenhouse setting, whether in pots, grow bags or a greenhouse border, relishing the warmer temperatures.

This method typically yields better results than outdoor cultivation, particularly in chillier locales. It's crucial to shield these plants from slugs and snails, making container growth often a safer bet as it makes the plants less reachable.