How to grow basil in a bottle

I love basil, you might too. It's fresh herby smell and taste in a salad or on pizza is one of the pleasures in life. Let's face it, the basil from the supermarkets isn't all that fresh and since it's been cut, it's on its way out. Unless you're lucky enough to have access to potted basil in your supermarket. 

That's what I always try to have some growing in the garden or near the kitchen window. It grows quickly and you can just take a cutting and start again with a new plant. Here's an easy method to grow basil in an up cycled plastic bottle, you'll need a basil seed or two.

Prepare your bottle

Wash your plastic bottle so it's fairly clean. I remove the label so it's easier to see the root progress. Then cut the top off with scissors.

Drill the lid

Drill the lid with a 6mm / 1/4" hole to allow water to seep into your growing medium.

Flip your lid

Flip the lid and place it upside down into your bottle. Use a sharpie or similar marker to mark halfway up the lid as your watermark. 

Plant your basil

Fill your bottle to the water mark and lace some cotton wool or kitchen paper into the lid and plant your basil seed into it. 

Wait for germination

Put your bottle near a window and wait for the magic. Make sure to keep the water level constant and after a week or so, your basil should germinate. 

Plant it out

After a month, you should have a nice little seedling ready to be planted out into a pot. Add some compost tea to the water if you'd like to keep it in near the window. Enjoy!