How to grow basil indoors

A pot or two of basil on the kitchen windowsill is indispensable in my kitchen - it's perfect for Italian cooking, particularly homemade pesto. There's something extra special about cooking with plants you've grown yourself. And if you've a sunny south-facing windowsill, there's no reason why you can't grow basil indoors all year round.

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the most popular variety in the UK, but you can choose your seeds from over 160 varieties in a range of fragrances that include lemon, liquorice and cinnamon. Foliage colours
range from the traditional green to deep purple and many cultivars also bloom with attractive flowers.

If you've the space, consider planting several different varieties in a strawberry pot, making sure you stand it on a saucer to catch excess water draining away. Fill the pot with seed compost, then scatter basil seedlings of your chosen cultivar into each opening, planting sweet basil in the top of the pot, as it is the one you'll probably use most often in cooking. Lightly cover your seeds with a fine, thin layer of compost, then water your pot well. Using a mini watering can with a fine rose will stop you drowning your seeds.

As your plants grow, cull weaker growing seedlings to create room for the stronger plants to grow, and pinch out the growing stems to create bushy plants. Water your plants daily, and feed them twice a month with liquid plant food. Remember, basil hates water on its leaves and stem, so water them at their base.