Two-factor experiment was conducted in 2012-2014 in the greenhouse of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Warmia and Mazury, in a randomised block design with three replications. The first experimental factor was six botanical varieties of basil: green leafy basil, Thai ‘Siam Queen’, Greek (small-leaved) ‘Minette’, red-leaf basil, lemon basil and cinnamon basil. The second factor in the experiment was the cultivation of plants in pots of varying capacity and number of plants: 0.7 dm3 with one plant per pot; 3.0 dm3 with one plant per pot; 3.0 dm3 with four plants per pot. In the consecutive years of the three-year cycle of experiment, between 22nd and 24th of February, in the greenhouse, on sliding tables depending on the pot volume (0.7 and 3.0 dm3), containers filled with an organic substrate which included sphagnum peat were placed. Based on the study, it was demonstrated that the cultivated varieties of basil – Greek and Thai – were lower than the other ones, and Greek basil had the most branches. The use of pots with capacity of 3.0 dm3 in the cultivation of sweet basil, in which on one plant per pot was grown, resulted in a significant increase in the weight and number of branches.