Joie de la Nature at Bellanger

Grow your Own - Basil

Join us as we celebrate la Joie de la Nature this summer. Our terrace pays homage to all things home-grown with abundant edible planting, plus a refreshing limited-edition cocktail list profiling garden flavours in collaboration with Seed Folk. Inspiring our ‘Basil’ cocktail, which pairs the sweet, herbaceous flavour of basil with monkey 47 gin, lemon juice, sugar, basil leaves.

This classic sun loving kitchen herb is easy growing and thrives in pots, beds, or simply on a windowsill.

What you’ll need

• Seeds, soil/Seed Folk compost mix, 1x 8 litre pot or garden bed.

Step 1 – sow the seeds (March- July)

• Fill an 8-litre pot (or larger) with Seed Folk compost mix or any peat-free compost.
• Scatter 9–10 basil seeds evenly across the surface.
• Cover with 1cm of compost and water gently.
• Place somewhere warm and sunny, a windowsill or sunny shelf is perfect.

Step 2 – watch them grow

• Keep the soil lightly moist (not soggy!).
• You should see seedlings in 1–2 weeks.
• Thin them out gradually, snipping away the weaker ones until you’re left with 3 strong plants per 8-litre pot or 15cm between plants in garden beds.
• Don’t waste the extras, toss them into a salad!

Step 3 – moving out

• Once night temperatures are above 10°C, you can move your plants outside.
• Start by hardening them off: place them outdoors during the day and bring them in at night for a week.
• Basil also grows happily indoors on a bright, sunny windowsill. South-facing is best, but east or west will do the trick too.

Step 4 – keep them growing

• Water little and often, ideally in the morning
• Feed once a month using 1 tbsp of Seed Folk’s slow-release fertiliser mixed into the compost.
• If you’re using regular soil, use a general purpose liquid feed every 2–3 weeks.
• Snip off any flowers as they appear to keep the plant focused on leafy growth.

Step 5 – harvest time

• When your plant is 15–20cm tall, start harvesting.
• Snip a main stem just above a pair of leaves, this encourages bushier growth.
• Keep picking regularly. The more you harvest, the more your basil will give!

Join us on our summer terrace to explore our ‘Joie de la Nature’ cocktail menu.