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You've been harvesting a bounty of basil all summer, pinching and pinching to keep the plants from blooming so the leaves will stay sweet. By now, some of your basil plants may be out of control and blooming madly. Rather than trying to stop them, let them do their thing and harvest a bumper crop of seeds to share and trade. It’s time to let your basil bloom!
In my first DG articles, I wrote about pinching back herbs for use in the kitchen. See "Get the Most from Your Herbs I: Pinch Pinch Pinch, II: Eat What You Pinch, and III: Save Some For Later." If you want to save seeds from your basil to plant next year, however, it's time to let a few plants flower. You can continue to harvest from part of the plant and just let a few stems bloom, if you like.
The blooms of some basil plants, such as Thai Basil ‘Siam Queen' and ‘Magical Michael', are so gorgeous that I rarely pinch them back to prevent flowering. The bees and butterflies are big fans of basil blooms. The bees will pollinate your basil with such enthusiasm that if you're growing different types of basil, you may end up with cross-pollinated seeds.
There are ways to reduce the chances of cross-pollination. You can isolate your plants in space by putting different basil varieties in different parts of the garden, separating them by 50 or even 100 feet. Or, you can isolate the blooms in time by allowing only one variety of basil to start flowering and setting seed during any given week.
As a practical matter, I generally try to isolate varieties in both space and time. I further hedge my bet by not planting similar varieties next to each other. If I plant a purple basil next to my green lime basil and get a few crossed seeds, the rogues will be easy to see or sniff out in my seedling tray.
Save seeds from your best, true-to-type plants. If you're growing my favorite Italian pesto basil, and there's one smooth-leafed plant growing among several others with typical puckered leaves, don't harvest seeds from the smooth leafed rogue. You can even improve a strain by saving seeds from only the healthiest, most vigorous, most desirable plants. I've been selectively growing out and saving seeds from the smallest-leafed plants of ‘Minette', ending up with prettier plants each year.
The buds that aren't pinched off will develop into spikes of delicate blooms. As the flowers mature, the petals will drop. The green carpels that remain attached to the bloom stalks contain the developing seeds. These little "pods" dry up and turn brown as the seeds mature. If you split one open, you can see the developing round seeds inside. As the seed coat hardens, it changes color from pale green to brown to black.
You'll want to stop pinching and start allowing flowering at least 6 weeks before your projected first frost date. Once frost hits a basil plant, it's done. The exact time from bloom to mature seed seems somewhat variable. If I want to be very sure of getting seed from a particular variety, I'll start letting it flower in early August. I've also collected seeds from plants that didn't flower until the end of September, just a few weeks before our first frost.
If the first frost warning catches you a little too early, try cutting some bloom stalks and putting them in a glass of water inside to finish maturing. If the carpels have at least started changing color, you can usually get some seeds.
When the seeds are ready, you can strip the brown carpels from the bloom stem and crumble them between your fingers to release the seeds. Mature basil seeds are small, round, and black. Separating the seed from the chaff (the dried bits and dust) can be a challenge, but with a little practice you'll find a technique that works for you.
Dry carpels will drop some seeds if you stir them in a bowl or shake them in a bag. To get more seeds, break them up by crushing them or rubbing them between your fingers. I've tried a few alternatives such as putting them in a bag and using a rolling pin, but I usually end up just doing it by hand. If I put a big pile on a plate or flat bowl, I can get through a lot while watching a movie on TV.
I have a couple of sieves that I use next. A coarse sieve separates the larger bits of chaff from the seeds and dusty stuff. Then, a fine sieve lets the dust fall through while the seeds remain behind. At that point, 90% of the chaff should be gone.
Getting rid of the rest of the chaff is optional, but it leaves the seeds cleaner for storage and makes them look better for trading. The best method I've found for de-chaffing basil and other small seeds is "swirl and blow." I put the seeds and chaff in a shallow bowl and gently blow the chaff away. I tilt the bowl and swirl the contents as I blow, so the heavier seeds end up on one side while the chaff blows away over the opposite edge. Doing this over a tray lets me try again in case I huff and puff too vigorously.
I like to let my seeds sit out another week or two, just to make sure they're completely dry before I put them into labeled zip-top plastic bags. I know I'll have fun trading these seeds over the winter here at DG! Be sure to stop by the Herb Forum as well as the Seed Trading Forum to arrange some fun swaps for your newly harvested basil seed.
Photos by Jill M. Nicolaus.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. We seem to be alternating between wintry days and late fall weather here. I still have some bulbs to plant, so I'm hoping for another warm spell or two. Between rounds of shopping and holiday preparations, I'm already thinking about seeds and plants for next year, LOL.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by gretagreenthumb (from Wichita Falls, TX) on August 25, 2008 at 2:08 PM:
. . . and this would be????
I've never made pesto, but would love to. It would be nice to get an experts idea of the perfect basil to use. Hey, while I'm begging -- a recipe would be truly appreciated. (later -- I kept reading some of you older post and found the pesto recipe -- thanks!)
Now to go out and find my basil that is hidden with my tomato plants and see if they have gone to seed yet. Tomatoes have not produce (too much heat and wind this year), so I tend to ignore those hidden basil plants in that part of the garden.
May I ask, what do you do with the different varieties of basil? I grow lemon, but don't know what to do with it besides enjoy the smell. (Almost afraid to admit my ignorance.)
Thanks for your advice!
This message was edited Aug 25, 2008 12:41 PM
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 25, 2008 at 4:40 PM:
It's a variety a friend of mine brought back from Italy several years ago... I don't know the name, so I just refer to it as my favorite Italian basil from Italy. I'll try to collect seeds again this year, but if I don't manage it you can probably still find it, as I've given out a lot of seed of this variety over the past several years. It's probably an Italian Genovese variety.
I like various types of basil tossed into green salads, and I like lemon basil in marinades (try it with chicken -- add a little garlic and red wine vinegar, rub with olive oil before grilling). Thai basils are wonderful in stir fries. I grow them for their scents, too!
...
Subject: pinching
Posted by skibo (from Grand Rapids, MI) on August 25, 2008 at 6:13 AM:
I've been not only pinching mine, but neighbor's and family member's basil....I'm going to stop pinching today!!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 25, 2008 at 9:17 AM:
LOL! You don't have to stop pinching all of them... even a few bloom stalks here and there will give you plenty of seeds, and then you can keep making pesto etc. :-)
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Posted by cactuspatch (from La Luz/Alamogordo, NM) on August 25, 2008 at 6:31 PM:
Good article. I took a short trip and didn't pinch for a week, some went to seed and now I have several more basil plants this summer.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 25, 2008 at 10:35 PM:
It's remarkable how quickly they'll bloom and set seed, especially later in the season. :-)
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Posted by cactuspatch (from La Luz/Alamogordo, NM) on August 26, 2008 at 10:05 PM:
Yes, one of my volunteers came up in a pot of Society garlic sitting in the middle of the herb garden. I had to pinch the seeds off today so I can have basil for a few more months!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 26, 2008 at 10:08 PM:
I had a volunteer come up in a crack between the patio pavers... it's setting seed, too!
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Posted by cactuspatch (from La Luz/Alamogordo, NM) on August 26, 2008 at 10:11 PM:
Yes, I have some coming up in my cracks between the flagstones. I usually let them go to seed and then don't have to plant next spring. But some years that doesn't work.
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Subject: Great info!
Posted by stormyla (from Norristown, PA) on August 24, 2008 at 8:54 PM:
Thanks, Critter, Your explanations are always clear & helpful. Saves a lot of reinventing the wheel. Now if I just can stop pinching the basil.. I didn't plant enough this year & keep harvesting it!!!!!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 24, 2008 at 11:42 PM:
LOL.. I'm doing the same thing, here. So I'm letting just a couple of branches on each plant go to seed, and I'm continuing to pinch the rest. I'm going to have my cake (er,well, my basil seed) and eat it, too!
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Subject: Very timely!
Posted by Bookerc1 (from Mackinaw, IL) on August 21, 2008 at 11:51 AM:
I planted 5 varieties of basil this year, including your Italian one, and several bloomed over the past couple of weeks while I was out of state. I was wondering whether to continue pinching, or let them go! I think I'll pinch back some, and let a few set seed!
Your basil articles have been among my favorites all year! Thanks for following through to the final stage!
Angie
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2008 at 12:34 PM:
Thanks!
I've found that even on the same plant, you can let a few stems set seed and keep pinching back other branches for harvesting -- and the flavor remains good. But even a few flower buds at the top of a branch seems to affect the flavor of all the leaves on that branch. So I think you've got the right idea: pinch some thoroughly, and let a few set seed!
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Posted by wind (from Mount Laurel, NJ) on August 21, 2008 at 9:08 PM:
Hi Critter :)
Great Article! This is very timely....ours is starting to go to seed now. We started making pesto and left some in the garden to go to seed. We are growing your serrated edged leaf Italian Basil; large leaf basil; lemon basil; lime basil; Thai basil; and red Rubin basil. We all love fresh basil here for use in pasta sauce, stir fries, and pesto.
I first learned how to harvest my seeds from you last year in a thread here on DG and I'm very grateful. I always thought there wasn't enough time to start growing basil from seeds. But I was wrong ~ all of our basil this year was grown from seed that I started indoors.
I did just what you describe here in your article, to harvest and collect the seeds, and it works!
Thank You & Happy Gardening :)
~Diana
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2008 at 9:23 PM:
I'm glad you're getting seeds from your basils for next year! Be sure to label your lemon and lime basil seeds while they're drying... I thought mine smelled so distinctive... and then I lost the labels (slips of paper, not tape -- whoops), and all I could tell was "yep, citrus!" That's how I ended up with that mix of lemon & lime basil seeds that I sent out last winter!
...
Posted by redheadedwonder11 (from Calgary, AB) on August 21, 2008 at 9:53 PM:
My cinnamon basil just started blooming this week. Now I won't have to post all over the place to get help on telling when the seeds will be ready :) Thanks for the great article!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 22, 2008 at 12:13 AM:
:-)
Cinnamon basil does have a wonderful scent! It's one that I have to tuck into my flower beds every year...
In my first DG articles, I wrote about pinching back herbs for use in the kitchen. See "
You can isolate your plants in space by putting different basil varieties in different parts of the garden, separating them by 50 or even 100 feet. Or, you can isolate the blooms in time by allowing only one variety of basil to start flowering and setting seed during any given week. 
Save seeds from your best, true-to-type plants. If you're growing my favorite Italian pesto basil, and there's one smooth-leafed plant growing among several others with typical puckered leaves, don't harvest seeds from the smooth leafed rogue. You can even improve a strain by saving seeds from only the healthiest, most vigorous, most desirable plants. I've been selectively growing out and saving seeds from the smallest-leafed plants of ‘Minette', ending up with prettier plants each year.
If you split one open, you can see the developing round seeds inside. As the seed coat hardens, it changes color from pale green to brown to black.
You'll want to stop pinching and start allowing flowering at least 6 weeks before your projected first frost date. Once frost hits a basil plant, it's done. The exact time from bloom to mature seed seems somewhat variable. If I want to be very sure of getting seed from a particular variety, I'll start letting it flower in early August. I've also collected seeds from plants that didn't flower until the end of September, just a few weeks before our first frost. 
Dry carpels will drop some seeds if you stir them in a bowl or shake them in a bag. To get more seeds, break them up by crushing them or rubbing them between your fingers. I've tried a few alternatives such as putting them in a bag and using a rolling pin, but I usually end up just doing it by hand. If I put a big pile on a plate or flat bowl, I can get through a lot while watching a movie on TV.
Getting rid of the rest of the chaff is optional, but it leaves the seeds cleaner for storage and makes them look better for trading. The best method I've found for de-chaffing basil and other small seeds is "swirl and blow." I put the seeds and chaff in a shallow bowl and gently blow the chaff away. I tilt the bowl and swirl the contents as I blow, so the heavier seeds end up on one side while the chaff blows away over the opposite edge. Doing this over a tray lets me try again in case I huff and puff too vigorously.
