From my perspective, a comfortable and secure home is the most important thing you can provide. I need a pot that feels spacious enough for my roots to stretch out and explore. Please choose one with holes in the bottom; my roots despise being waterlogged and will rot if left sitting in a puddle. The soil you pick is my entire world. I crave a light, fluffy, and well-draining potting mix. Garden soil is much too dense and heavy for me; it suffocates my roots and holds onto moisture for far too long. A special potting mix made for herbs is like a five-star hotel for me—it provides the perfect balance of support, moisture, and air flow that I need to thrive.
I am a child of the sun. To grow strong and produce the fragrant leaves you love, I need an immense amount of light. A bright, sunny windowsill facing south is my ideal spot, where I can bask in at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. If your home doesn't have a spot that bright, please don't leave me in the dim shadows to become weak and leggy. Instead, provide me with a grow light. Position it just a few inches above my leaves for 12-14 hours a day to mimic the glorious sunshine I crave. I also enjoy warmth, so keep me away from drafty windows or blowing air vents, which can shock my system and stunt my growth.
Watering is an art form that you must master for my sake. My desire is for consistent moisture, but I am terribly afraid of having wet feet. The best way to know if I'm thirsty is to check the soil itself. Push your finger about an inch down into the soil near my stem. If it feels dry to the touch, that is your signal that I am ready for a drink. When you water, do so thoroughly until you see water begin to trickle out of the drainage holes into the saucer below. This ensures my entire root system gets hydrated. Crucially, after waiting a few minutes, always empty the saucer! Leaving me sitting in that water is a death sentence for my roots.
If you want me to become a bushy, full plant instead of a single, tall, and weak stem, you must interact with me. Look for the main central stem. At the top, you will see a set of smaller leaves growing between two larger ones—this is my main growing point. When I have developed three to four sets of true leaves, I need you to pinch this top cluster off with your fingers. This might feel counterintuitive, but it signals to me to stop growing tall and to instead focus my energy on growing two new branches from the nodes below. This simple act of pinching my tips is how you help me become a strong, productive plant. Remember to use the leaves you pinch in your kitchen—that’s what I’m here for!
