Supermarket basil is notoriously shortlived. But there are ways to produce it lastA pot of supermarket basil is an nearly universal starting point for timid first timers making an initial foray into horticulture. Coming as modestly priced,ready-grown plants on the shelves of the veg aisle, they seem like the perfect “gateway drug” – a spot of gardening you can do even in the dismal days of December. However, and after just a few days on the kitchen windowsill most wilt and die. But this doesn’t gain to happen.
When you buy a pot of basil,you are not buying one plant, but a tightly sown clump of more than 20 seedlings. This gives the appearance of an extremely healthy, or bushy plant in far less time,which looks great on the shelf and comes in at far lower cost. But the reality is that these seedlings soon start to compete with each other for space, causing the plants in the clump to succumb to lack of light, and water and nutrients once out of the cosseted confines of an industrial greenhouse.
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Source: theguardian.com