Basil
Also called: ريحان · حبق · Rayhan · Habaq
The most heat-tolerant herb here. It runs October to June, and its scent keeps whitefly off a neighbouring tomato.
The year at a glance
Each month is split in half. The outline marks now.
Stage by stage
Stage 1 of 7
Seed
Days 0–4
Seed
Days 0–4The seed sits in the soil taking up water and swelling. Nothing shows above the surface — everything is happening underground.
Do now
- Water lightly and often so the soil stays damp but never soaked. Letting it dry out between waterings kills the seed before it sprouts.
- Cover the surface with a thin layer of straw or compost to slow evaporation and steady the temperature.
- Label what you sowed and when. You will need the date to work out the harvest.
Watch for
- A hard crust forming on sandy soil after watering, which traps the sprout underneath. Break it gently.
- Ants carrying small seeds away — a very common problem in Qatari gardens.
In Qatar
Cover with no more than 5 mm. It wants warmth and light, and a Qatari September is perfect for it.
Germination
Days 5–11The seed coat splits: a root pushes down and a shoot pushes up. The two seed leaves that appear are not true leaves — they are the seed’s own food store.
Do now
- Keep moisture constant. The first root is very fine and a single dry day can end the seedling.
- Remove any covering as soon as the first sprout shows, or it will stretch thin looking for light.
- Give bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun will scorch a new seedling within hours.
Watch for
- A long, thin, pale stem: the seedling is not getting enough light and will collapse.
- Sudden wilting with a pinched stem at soil level — damping off, caused by overwatering.
In Qatar
Fast in October’s warmth. Do not sow in January — cold soil stops it germinating altogether.
Seedling
Days 12–28The first true leaves appear, shaped differently from the seed leaves. The plant is now feeding itself and the roots are branching fast.
Do now
- Thin crowded seedlings and keep the strongest. Crowding gives you many weak plants instead of one good one.
- Start watering less often but more deeply, to drive the roots downwards.
- Harden the seedling off — build up its sun exposure over a week before transplanting.
Watch for
- Yellowing lower leaves: nitrogen shortage, very common in Qatar’s poor sandy soil.
- Small holes or chewed edges, meaning snails or young grasshoppers.
In Qatar
Pinch the tip at the fourth leaf pair. That single pinch doubles the plant’s final size.
Leaf growth
Days 29–44Leaves multiply fast and the rosette widens. All the energy goes into leaf — which is the crop itself, so speed is the goal.
Do now
- Feed nitrogen every ten days. Leafy crops want more of it than anything else you grow.
- Keep the moisture even. Any drought turns the leaves bitter and tough, permanently.
- Clear competing weeds. Leafy crops root shallowly and lose the competition easily.
Watch for
- Small, thick, dark leaves: the plant is thirsty or the soil is salty.
- Aphids gathering in the heart of the plant, where they are hard to wash out.
In Qatar
It takes full Qatari sun until May with no shade — an exception among the herbs.
Cut and come again
Days 45–200The plant is at its most aromatic. Regular cutting makes it branch and produce more; leaving it uncut pushes it to flower.
Do now
- Cut from the top just above a pair of leaves, and the stem branches into two.
- Never take more than a third of the plant at once.
- Cut before the midday sun, when the aromatic oils are at their strongest.
- Pinch out any flower buds as soon as they appear to stretch the leaf season.
Watch for
- Woody stems at the base: the plant is ageing and needs a hard cut back or replacing.
- Spider mite in hot dry air, showing as faint speckling and fine webbing.
In Qatar
A long season, October to June. Cut weekly even if you do not need it — cutting is what keeps it alive.
Bolting
Days 201–230Heat or lengthening days convince the plant its life is ending, so it rushes to make seed. The leaves turn bitter and tough.
Do now
- The leaves are past salad use. Cook them if the bitterness is bearable.
- Let the strongest plant finish flowering and collect its seed for another season.
- The flowers pull in beneficial insects, so leave some standing if you have another crop nearby.
Watch for
- Early bolting caused by sowing too late in the season — the commonest mistake in Qatar.
- Seed scattering itself and coming back as a weed next season.
In Qatar
It flowers with June’s heat however much you pinch. The flowers are edible and taste of basil.
End of cycle
Days 231–260The plant’s cycle is over. The roots left behind break down and add organic matter if you leave them.
Do now
- Cut the plant at soil level and leave the roots in place to rot down.
- Sow a crop from a different family in the same spot to break the pest cycle.
- Add compost and cover the soil before the summer heat.
Watch for
- Planting the same family twice running in the same bed.
- Leaving the soil bare in the sun all summer.
In Qatar
Take cuttings from the best plant before it dies and root them in water for next season.
- Sun
- Full sun
- 25 cm apart
- Sow 0.5 cm deep
- Pot from 6 L
- Lamiaceae
Shade net from May
Grows well with
Keep away from
- Water
- Medium
- Salt tolerance
- Medium
- Heat tolerance
- High
4 L/week in winter, 11 L in summer
Soil preparation
Wants good drainage and warmth. Qatar’s sandy soil suits it perfectly with a moderate amount of compost.
Pests
Aphids
- Sign
- Clusters on the growing tips.
- What to do
- Pinch off the affected tips and bin them — faster than spraying.
Whitefly
- Sign
- Rare on basil itself, which is a natural repellent.
- What to do
- Plant it among your tomatoes to use that repellent effect.
Common problems
Leaves blackening in winter
- Cause
- Murabbaniya nights below 10 °C. Basil is tropical and does not take cold.
- Fix
- Cover it on the coldest nights, or grow it in a pot you can bring inside.
Early flowering shutting down leaf growth
- Cause
- Not pinching the tips out.
- Fix
- Pinch every flower bud the moment it appears. Regular pinching doubles the plant’s life.
Picking
Always cut above a leaf pair so the stem branches in two. Pick from the top, not the bottom.
Keeping
Never refrigerate it — it blackens. Stand it in a glass of water on the counter and it keeps a week.