How To Harvest Basil Seeds for Free Garden Plants

The weather is beginning to warm up, causing your basil plant to flower. Have you wondered how to harvest basil seeds for free plants? Follow these simple steps to grow free basil for life.

How to Harvest Basil Seeds

Even as a new gardener years ago, I knew that basil must be an easy annual to save seeds from. After watching volunteer basil seedlings pop up in my garden beds, I began to pay attention.

My basil flowers dried up, and I picked them. I simply stored the dry stems in a paper bag until the following year. That’s it. I couldn’t give you an easier tutorial on how to harvest basil seeds.

What Do Basil Seeds Look Like?

The following year, I grabbed that bag of dead flowers and there was a mysterious sprinkling of black stuff in the bottom of the bag. I didn’t know these were my basil seeds. I had never held basil seeds in my hands before, rather I’d only purchased started plants to put into my garden.

Basil seeds are tiny, round, and black in appearance, resembling small grains. They measure around 1 millimeter in diameter, and they have a hard outer coating.

The Easiest Way to Collect Seeds

Now that I know better, I purposely collect the tiny black seeds from my basil plants for planting season after season. How to harvest basil seeds:

Step 1 Let the Plant Flower

Allow the basil plant to flower, and then wait for the flowers to dry out completely on the plant. You’ll notice the flowers turning brown and becoming brittle.

Step 2 Watch the Flower Buds Die

Once the flowers have dried, carefully remove the spent flower heads from the plant. These pods contain the basil seeds. You can pluck them off by hand or use scissors to snip them off.

Step 3 Collect Dried Seed Heads

Open the seed pods and extract the basil seeds. You can do this by gently crushing the pods or by rubbing them between your fingers. Separate the tiny seeds from any remaining chaff or debris.

Next Steps for Free Basil Plants

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions related to basil seeds.

How to Store Seeds Until Next Year

1. Dry thoroughly: Ensure the harvested basil seeds are completely dry. Spread them out on a tray or a paper towel in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. Let them air dry for about a week or until there is no moisture left.
2. Store in airtight container: Once the seeds are dry, transfer them to an airtight container such as a glass jar or a resealable plastic bag. Make sure the container is clean and dry before storing the seeds. Don’t forget to label them.
3. Keep in a cool, dry place: Store the container of basil seeds in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. A pantry or cupboard is an ideal location. Ensure the storage area maintains a consistent temperature and humidity level to prevent the seeds from spoiling.

How Long Do Basil Seeds Last?

Basil seeds can remain viable for up to 5 years if stored properly in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and moisture. However, their germination rate may decrease over time, so it’s best to use them within 2 to 3 years for optimal results.

I’d never throw away seeds though. Trashing your old seeds guarantees no germination, no plants, and no harvest. If you just attempt to start old seeds, at least you tried, and you may get something.

How to Start Basil Seeds for New Plants

Starting basil seeds for new plants is a straightforward process. Basil is a warm weather plant. Make sure that you wait until after your last frost if you’re going to direct sow your seeds in your garden.

For starting seeds indoors, follow these steps:

1. Place 2-3 basil seeds on the surface of the soil in each container, spacing them evenly apart. Gently press the seeds into the soil, but do not bury them too deeply, as basil seeds require light to germinate.
2. Water and cover: Lightly water the soil to moisten it, then cover the containers with a clear plastic lid or a plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. This helps retain moisture and warmth, promoting germination.
3. Provide warmth and light: Place the containers in a warm, sunny location, such as a windowsill or under grow lights. Basil seeds germinate best at soil temperatures between 70-80°F (21-27°C). Ensure they receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day or provide supplemental light if needed.
4. Maintain moisture: Check the soil moisture regularly and water as needed to keep it consistently moist but not waterlogged. Avoid overwatering, as it can lead to damping-off disease. You want moist soil, not wet soil.
5. Remove cover and thin seedlings: Once the basil seeds have germinated and seedlings have developed a few true leaves, remove the plastic cover to promote air circulation. If multiple seedlings emerge in one container, thin them out, leaving the strongest one to grow.
6. Transplant: When the basil seedlings have grown several sets of true leaves and the weather has warmed up (typically after the last frost date in your area), transplant them into larger pots or into the garden, spacing them 8-12 inches apart. Be sure to harden off your plants before transplanting.

Another Way to Get Free Plants

Basil is extremely easy to propagate by cuttings. If my explanation of how to harvest basil seeds seems daunting, try this instead.

Simply clip the central stems off of the parent plant when they’re 4-6 inches tall. Make sure they haven’t yet flowered. Drop the cuttings into a vase of water and watch them grow new roots over the next week or two. You may need to change out the water a few times during this process.

Once roots are an inch or longer, you can plant the new plants into pots or directly into your kitchen garden. Water them well as they establish themselves in their new space. How easy is that?

Problems With Growing Basil

The most common problem that we see when growing basil is disease. Basil is susceptible to fungal diseases such as downy mildew and fusarium wilt, especially in humid conditions. 

To prevent diseases, avoid overhead watering, provide good air circulation around the plants, and avoid overcrowding. If disease symptoms appear on your basil leaves, remove and destroy affected plant parts, and treat with a fungicide if necessary.

Secondly, basil is prone to bolting*, especially in hot weather. Bolting is when the plant prematurely produces flowers and goes to seed, resulting in bitter-tasting leaves. To prevent bolting, keep the plants well-watered and harvest regularly to encourage bushy growth. Pinch off flower buds off the top of the plant as soon as they appear to prolong the harvest.

*NOTE: Bolting is what you want so that you can harvest those basil seeds, but not for leafy plant growth.

Which Variety of Basil

If you are new to gardening, you probably didn’t realize how many basil varieties exist. I was actually quite surprised to learn there are more than 60. Here are some of my favorites to grow every year:

• Genovese Basil – This is your standard sweet basil for culinary use in the kitchen, most commonly used in Italian dishes. Many gardeners choose to interplant this herb with their tomatoes as companions.
• Holy Basil – Also known as Tulsi. If happiness had a scent, it would be tulsi. We mostly steep this one as a tea, and is excellent when combined with fresh mint.
• Thai Basil – This popular herb brings a vibrant addition to salads or cooked with curries.
• Purple Basil – I grow this one purely for its beauty. It tastes just like your standard genovese, so mixing the two together makes a pretty jar of herbs on the pantry shelf. It’s gorgeous purple flowers attract pollinators into the garden too.
• Lemon Basil – This plant offers a fresh, lemony herb flavor that I like to use most with fresh vegetables. It also works really well in a salad dressing. Add it anywhere you’re using citrus in your cooking.

You could use any of these different varieties of basil with some garlic and olive oil as a fresh bread dip for the dinner table. They also make beautiful additions to your cut flower arrangements, especially if you use a flowering stem or two.

You can use the above steps on how to harvest basil seeds with any of the 60 plus varieties of basil.

​Health Benefits of Basil Seeds

Did you know that eating basil seeds has its own set of health benefits? We’re not talking about the leaves of the plant, but the actual seeds. Check this out. 

Basil Seeds are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. They’ve been used in Chinese medicine for ages, and are popular in some Asian drinks.

According to the NIH, regular use of basil seeds in the diet can contribute to “the prevention of type-2 diabetes, cardio-protection, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, and anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, anticoagulant, and anti-depressant properties, among others.”

Some people soak basil seeds in water until they become somewhat gelatinous, then strain the seeds out, and drink the basil water. This is supposedly a way to help lose belly fat. 

It is recommended to add basil seeds to your diet slowly to avoid digestive problems since they’re so high in fiber.

Never Buy Basil Again

Saving money is always a top goal for homesteaders. If you follow these easy steps on how to harvest basil seeds every year, then you’ll never have to buy fresh basil again.

Happy Homesteading!

Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+  years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm.