Growing Sweet Basil from Seed
Sweet basil grows up to 40-60cm high. Basil is best used fresh and has a pungent, aromatic and spicy flavour that resembles cloves. Basil tastes great with tomatoes or tomato flavoured dishes. It is also a good companion plant for your other plants in your garden. Basil enhances the flavour of summer savoury and tomatoes, as well as helping your tomatoes to grow larger.
- Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Duration: Annual
- When to Sow: Spring (after danger of frost)
- Light conditions: Full sun
- Ease of Germination: Easy
- Uses: Culinary, beverage, aromatic
Growing instructions:
Basil is an easy herb to grow. Sow the seeds in the spring after the risk of frost. Germination takes 1 to 2 weeks. Basil prefers full sun and rich, moist, well-drained soil. Bury seeds .5 cm deep ¼”. For best germination results grow indoors in sterilized soil—black earth peat moss mixture. Keep soil moist, but never soggy. Transplant outside after the risk of frost. Rows 30-90 cm/12-36” apart.
Harvest:
Once it is over 2″ in height, you can start pinching it back to harvest the leaves; this will encourage bushy growth. Don’t let basil come to flower as it lessens the flavour quality of the leaves greatly and shortens the life span of the plant.
Here are various names and types of basils:
‘Siam Queen’, African Blue basil, Boxwood basil, Cinnamon basil, Clove Basil, Cuban basil, Dark opal basil, Dwarf bush basil, Fino Verde basil, Genovese basil, Greek bush basil, Greek column basil, Greek Yevani basil, Holy basil, Lemon basil, Lettuce leaf basil, Licorice basil, Lime basil, Magical Michael, Mammoth basil, Mrs. Burns lemon basil, Nufar basil, Osmin purple basil, Purple ruffles basil, Red Rubin basil, Spice basil, spicy globe basil, Sweet basil, Sweet Dani basil, Thai basil, Thai lemon basil.
Any questions on growing sweet basil from seed? Please leave a comment below!