LATIN NAME: Ocimum Basilicum
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: No tomato sauce would be complete without basil. Basil and its delightful varieties also complete the herb garden. Basil’s culinary uses are legendary and legion, with sauces, pestos, and vinegars the most popular. Foliage varies from tiny leaves on globe-shaped plants to bold, scalloped, or crinkled ones on tall stems. Leaf color may be bright emerald green or deep dusty purple, and plant size varies from 9 to 24 inches tall and wide. All versions are wonderfully aromatic. Graceful spires of small white to rose-pink flowers top plants in midsummer.
GERM. DATE: Late May
GERM. TIME: 7-14 days
TRANSPLANT DATE: Early June
TYPE OF PLANT: Annual
BLOOM CYCLE: Midsummer (small white to rose-pink flowers)
pH LEVEL:
SEED DEPTH: ¼ inch
HEIGHT OF PLANT: 12-24 inches
WIDTH OF PLANT: 9-24 inches
PLANT SPACING: 12 inches
ROW SPACING:
DAYS TO HARVEST: Continual
ZONE REQUIREMENTS: Zones 2-11
FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS:
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Full sun
WATER REQUIREMENTS: Moist
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Average, well-drained soil
DISEASE PROBLEMS:
PEST/INSECT PROBLEMS: Slugs, snails, and flea beetles
SOLUTIONS:
HOW TO GROW: Sow seeds indoors at 70°F, 8 weeks before last frost, or outdoors after soil is warmed. In long, warm-summer areas, resow in midsummer. Plant nursery transplants after soil is warm. Space 9 to 12 inches apart. Pinch several times when young to encourage branching and prevent flowering. For culinary use, don’t allow to flower.
HARVEST NOTES: Harvest when buds begin to form up until frost.
SPECIAL CARE/NOTES:
STORE BY:
PRESERVE BY: Drying or freezing
USES FOR PLANT: Used fresh or dry in culinary dishes; companion plant to tomatoes. Use miniature basils as edgings and purple-leaved forms for contrast in borders, containers, and herb gardens. Sprigs of purple basil look lovely in bouquets and dry well for wreaths. Red and purple varieties make stunningly colorful, tasty vinegars.
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