Basil is the perfect starter herb. Let me count the ways: it’s fast growing, lasts all season, isn’t particularly temperamental, and unlike more obscure herbs, basil features deliciously in about a million recipes. Not to mention that putting your nose anywhere near it is a heady delight. I have mine right by my patio door so I can run my hands through it every time I go outside.

The only real trick to basil is giving it enough sun, but we’ll get to that. Otherwise, just follow these guidelines, and you can plan on a summer-long basil bonanza.

1. Pick your plant. Your standard basil — sweet basil — is formally called Ocimum basilicum. There are numerous other varieties, including Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora), lemon basil (Ocimum × citriodorum), and a really pretty purple variety called (Ocimum basicilum ‘purpurescens’). If you want the flavor you’ve savored in countless killer pestos, go with the standard sweet basil plant. It’s not boring. It’s delicious. You can plant basil from seed, and it’ll take roughly 70 days to go from seed to harvest. Or you can bring home a small plant and start plucking leaves within the week. For adventure, go seeds. For immediate gratification and significantly increased likelihood of success, go ahead and spend $3 on a basil plant.

2. Make sure your pot has adequate drainage. Basil doesn’t need fancy soil. Your basic potting soil will do. But the soil has to be “well-drained.” Basically, basil hates sitting in water (most plants do). So skip the pretty pot with no holes in the bottom, and if you have your plant indoors on a saucer and water runs through the pot onto the saucer, drain the saucer.

3. Water your basil every few days. “Every few days” is so inexact, I know. But it depends on how big your pot is and the weather conditions. Smaller pot, more frequent watering. When in doubt, water every 3-4 days. And here are two good watering rules of thumb for basil plants: if it’s wilting, water it more; if the leaves at the bottom of the plant are turning yellow, water it less.

4. Pinch off flowers and leaves regularly. This is the delicious part! To keep basil tender and abundant, you need to harvest leaves throughout the season. Pluck them off the top, and the plant will grow fuller and leafier. In particular, make sure you pinch off the flowers before they shoot up. If you let them grow, the leaves will turn bitter. When cutting down a whole stem, make sure to leave at least two leaves at the bottom so the stem can regrow. If you’re worried about taking too many leaves at once, use this guide: as long as you’re taking less than 1/3 of the total plant, your basil should be fine.

5. Make sure your basil plant gets sun. As I mentioned earlier, this is the one trick. Basil loves sun. Doesn’t matter if it’s sun through a window or sun in the great outdoors. Just sun. “Part sun,” meaning at least six hours a day, will do, but full sun is even better. If all you have is shade, sorry. Bad news. You should probably pick a different plant.

And that’s it! Or almost. One more quick thing: frost kills basil. In fact, if the temperature starts to dip below 50, it gets grouchy. To keep your basil going longer, you can bring it indoors in the fall. But just because basil is protected from the elements doesn’t mean it will last forever. It’s an annual. Eventually, no matter how many flowers you pinch, basil is going to go to seed and die. That’s life — it’s not your fault. Just plan to plant another basil plant next year!