How to grow basil with the Paperpot Transplanter

Paperpot settings for basil

Use 6″ paper chain pots, drop one seed per cell with the Kwik Klik Slide, and transplant 3 rows on a 30″ bed, 10″ apart. Plan on about 2.2 trays per 100′ bed.

Paper chain pot	6″
In-row spacing	6″
Rows per 30″ bed	3 (10″ apart)
Trays per 100′ bed	2.2
Kwik Klik top plate	Paperpot 264, 3 mm thick, 4 mm holes
Seeds per cell	1
Seed per 100′ bed	570 seeds (+/-)
Cultivars	Genovese, Everleaf
Germination	4-10 days at 77-86°F
Days to transplant	30 days
Days to maturity	70 days
Harvest window	49 days
Harvest unit	50 g bags (6-8″ tip cuttings)
Yield per 100′ bed	400 bags

Bed figures are for a 100′ x 30″ bed. From the Paperpot Co. Growers Notes, developed with farmers Erich Schultz (Steadfast Farm) and Seth Davis. Adjust for your climate and conditions.

Bed preparation

• Broadfork the bed to aerate and loosen the soil.
• Smooth and shape the bed with a bed prep rake, removing any debris.
• Basil do best in a bed freshly amended. Layer on 1″ of compost (enough to mostly cover the native soil) or sprinkle on alfalfa meal and pelleted chicken manure.
• If you layer compost, don’t tilth it in, so surface weed seed stays smothered. If you add amendments, tilth the top 1-2″ to mix them in.
• Irrigate for 10 to 14 days* to germinate weed seed in the top layer of soil, then flame weed once the weed cotyledons are up.

Seeding

• Set a germination tray with 6″ paper chain pots and fill with potting mix.
• Set up the Kwik Klik Slide with the Paperpot bottom plate and the Paperpot 264, 3 mm thick, 4 mm holes top plate.
• Pour seed on the top plate and work it until one seed sits in each hole. Line the seeder up over the tray and slide the plate to drop seed into every cell at once.
• Water the tray, then germinate at 77-86°F. Emergence takes about 4 days.
• Move trays to greenhouse benches as soon as you see germination.
• Keep the greenhouse above 65°F at night.

Transplanting

• Wait for soil temperatures above 60°F (70°F is ideal).
• Water the trays thoroughly before heading to the field.
• Plant three rows of basil with the Paperpot Transplanter: 10″ between rows, 5″ from the outer rows to the bed edge.
• New to the transplanter? See the how-to guide and videos.

Bed layout

Irrigation

• Water the bed in with four lines of drip. Overhead watering can bring on downy mildew in basil.
• Frequent, shallow waterings support fast growth.

Cultivation

• 10-14 days after transplanting, cultivate with a wheel hoe and bio-disc cultivator, which works on and between the rows in one pass. Repeat 7-10 days later.
• A flex tine weeder or collinear hoe also works.

Harvest

• Start harvesting when plants are 6-12″ tall with at least 3 nodes.
• Straddle the bed and cut or pinch the top third of each plant. Leave the lower plant to keep producing.
• Harvest dry; basil isn’t washed. On long harvests, shade the totes so the basil doesn’t wilt.

Packing

• Pack 50 g per plastic bag and leave the bags open so moisture doesn’t blacken the leaves.
• Brown paper grocery bags work for bulk restaurant orders and can be closed.
• Store at 41-56°F. Colder than that blackens the leaves.

Basil in paper chain pots: FAQ

Other crops

beets · bunching onions · cabbage · cilantro · dill · fennel · garlic · head lettuce · kohlrabi · leeks · Little Gem lettuce · mesclun mix lettuce · onions · snap peas · salad turnips · spinach · storage radishes · summer crisp lettuce. All crops in one table: the Paperpot growers notes.