Cinnamon Basil

Cinnamon Basil stands apart from ordinary sweet basil thanks to its warm, spicy fragrance that genuinely recalls cinnamon, carried by the same aromatic compound that gives the spice its scent. Its narrow, glossy dark green leaves are set off by purple-tinted stems and slender lavender flower spikes, making it as decorative as it is useful. The sweet-spicy flavour shines in herbal teas, fruit salads, baked goods and many Middle Eastern and Asian dishes, and the tidy, colourful plant is equally at home grown simply for ornament.

Planting

This is a warm-season, frost-tender annual, so timing around the cold is everything. Start seed indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, or sow and transplant outdoors only once all frost risk has passed, the soil has warmed, and night temperatures stay reliably above 10 C. Sow the seed about 0.6 cm deep. Germination is best at a soil temperature of roughly 18 to 21 C, with seedlings usually emerging within 5 to 10 days. In Egypt the cool winter nights are the main constraint rather than the summer heat: in the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt, start seed in a seedbed or under protection in late January to February and transplant out in March to April once nights are dependably above 10 C, giving a long cutting season from June through October. In the milder winters of Upper Egypt the frost-free window is wider, so transplanting can begin a few weeks earlier, from late February into March, with a second autumn crop possible. Avoid open-field sowing in the cold of mid-winter (December to January). Once seedlings have developed 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves, thin or transplant them to their final spacing, roughly 15 to 30 cm apart for full-size plants, or a closer 10 to 20 cm for cut-leaf production, with direct-sown rows about 45 cm apart. Indoor-started seedlings move outside about 6 weeks after sowing, once frost danger has passed. Give the plants full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light each day, in a warm, sheltered spot.

Fertilizing

Cinnamon Basil is not a heavy feeder. In good ground soil it often needs no added fertilizer at all. Where you do feed, apply a low-nitrogen starter fertilizer before planting. If growth slows about two months after planting, side-dress with a modest nitrogen feed of roughly 0.1 to 0.2 kg of calcium nitrate per row section to keep the leaves coming. Plants grown in containers do best with a balanced, organic-based liquid feed diluted and applied every 3 to 6 weeks; steer clear of high-potassium feeds, which do not suit basil.

Care

Basil dislikes drought and needs a fairly steady supply of soil moisture, so keep the soil evenly moist, watering deeply about every 7 to 10 days and more often for plants in containers. Water at the base of the plant in the morning and avoid wetting the foliage, which helps limit disease. Watch for the common troubles of basil: downy mildew, which shows as fluffy growth on the leaf undersides, along with Fusarium wilt, grey mould, bacterial leaf spot, damping-off and root rots, plus pests such as aphids, slugs and snails, spider mites, whiteflies, Japanese beetles and leafhoppers. To keep the leaves coming and the plant bushy, pinch out the growing tips at least once a week. For the best flavour, harvest just before flowering and pinch off flower buds as they appear, since flowering turns the stems woody and the leaves more bitter while reducing yield. For a full cut, take the plant back to about 10 to 15 cm above the ground to encourage fresh regrowth, and harvest in the cool of the early morning.