Taking care of basil

Polythene Pam

Hi all, I bought one of those basil plants from Dunnes, I got it a couple of months ago but now it's really in bits, possibly because I have no idea of how to take care of it.
I mean I have a rosemary and a parsley and I water them regularly every third day. I put the water in a plate underneath the pot, let's say half a glass. The rosemary is happy out, but the parsley doesn't look too good and the basil is definitely going to die unless I do something..
Any suggestion? Bear in mind that I'm here to learn... as in I'm totally useless..
Thanks!

Alun

A couple of months is pretty good going for a basil plant I'd say! They don't usually last much longer than a week in my house.

Polythene Pam

Oh ok... I didn't know I was doing well...
I actually thought that galway weather isn't exactly right for a basil plant, even for an indoor plant.. so it's not all my fault..

Any other suggestions?

loyatemu

they're only €1.50 each in my local supermarket which is cheaper than buying a jar of the dried stuff, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

In my experience, they survive fine in a sheltered spot outdoors during the spring and summer, but during the winter they don't last long indoors.

pjq

You can grow basil from seed ( packets at Lidl now) and they last a few months growing in clay and compost . In May try some parsley outside , it's maintenance free and will last a few years .
pjq

Polythene Pam

Excellent, thanks a million! I actually have the parsley right now and it doesn't look like a happy camper, while my rosemary is growing perfectly!
What's the best way to water parsley? Maybe I'm giving it too much water.. I do it every third day, how's that?
Thanks a mill

Faith

The basil plants are only supposed to last a week or so. Basil doesn't actually need much water, so avoid over-watering it. I had one in first year that I tended to lovingly, but it nearly died. Then I went away for a week and when I came back, it was looking better than ever!