[Livinhope]

I've read on here that people buy supermarket herbs, split them and plant out.  I want to try this with basil but, the pot I have is so tender, are there any special precautions I should take like hardening off etc.  It will be planted into a container in a sheltered position by my back door.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[butterfly blue]

I used to do this but they never lasted very well, i never hardened mine off(was in the days before i really grew anything) which probably killed them off , I have grown my own herbs this year with the exception of mint which i got from b and q. Good Luck hope it works. 

[Livinhope]

At least I wont be too disappointed then.  I do grow quite a few herbs and some from seed, namely parsley, coriander, dill etc. but I have the standard rosemary, thyme, marjoram and tarragon.  I just wondered, but will give it a go.

[bigben]

My mum always buys 3 M&S Basil plants early in the year, splits them and puts them into a fairly big trough on the windowsil. This keeps her in Basil for months. Apparently she finds Basil from other places is often so potbound that it never does anything after replanting.

[Zippy]

Slugs will devour it.

I would either put it into a herbal hanging basket along with other tender herbs or grow it indoors on the window sill - watch out for black fly!

[Jamie Butterworth]

If you want ive got a few basil seedlings and plants that are doing well if you want some

[Livinhope]

Many thanks for the helpful info.  I did wonder about slugs but blackfly never occured to me.

Jamie,  that's a very generous offer, but I couldn't let you be out of pocket with postage and packing, and you are a very long way from me.

[mumofstig]

If I haven't got round to sowing some (like last year ) I buy them, then split them, trim them a bit and harden them off a bit. Easy
slug pellets around the pots outside, sorted 

[RichardA]

Basil is easy from seed if you want to try that.
R

[oldcow]

I grow it from seed, never had any problem. However, if you're planning to keep it outdoors, start it outdoors since it tends to be very sensitive to change of conditions - tricky to harden it off. When it reaches the height you want, pinch the top off and it will bush out beautifully.

[Aidy]

This year I have decided to grow it between my toms and it seems to be thriving in the greenhouse, just need the toms to go with it!

[viettaclark]

My Dig In basil got whitefly whilst on the kitchen window sill and it's stunted it's growth...won't grow higher than about 4 cm. I've repotted, hardened off and pinched out now which got rid of most but they still look sad....
Basil is the bane of my life....I can never seem to keep it...

[Livinhope]

I think I must try both ways with the shop bought and seed, but the comments are interesting and appreciated.

[RichardA]

as I put toms into greenhouse and polytunnel I sow several rows of basil ready for soups etc -- also seems to keep whitefly away - may be coincidence
R

[Livinhope]

Now why didn't I think of that.  What a great idea