Italian Basil Seeds

Italian Basil is the classic sweet basil of the Mediterranean kitchen, prized for its large, glossy, gently cupped green leaves and its rich, sweet aroma with warm notes of clove and anise. Its full, tender flavour makes it the first choice for fresh pesto, tomato and mozzarella salads, and pasta and pizza dishes, while the lush, mounding foliage also looks handsome in a pot on a sunny balcony. It is a warm-season annual that is sensitive to cold, so it rewards a sunny, sheltered spot and steady moisture with abundant fragrant leaves.

Planting

As a frost-tender, warm-season herb, basil should be started indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, or sown and transplanted outdoors only once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed, waiting until night-time temperatures stay reliably above 10 C. Sow the seed about 0.6 cm deep. Germination usually takes 5 to 10 days and is best at a soil temperature of around 18 to 21 C. Give plants a full-sun position with at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light each day in a warm, sheltered site. Thin or move seedlings to their final spacing once they have formed 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves: about 15 to 30 cm apart for full-size plants, or 10 to 20 cm apart if you are growing for cut leaves, with direct-sown rows around 45 cm apart. Seedlings started indoors are ready to plant out roughly 6 weeks after sowing, once frost has passed.

Fertilizing

Basil grown in good garden soil often needs no extra feeding at all. Where you do feed, work in a low-nitrogen starter fertiliser before planting. If growth slows about two months after planting, give the plants a light nitrogen side-dressing to keep them going. For basil in pots, use an organic-based balanced liquid feed and avoid high-potassium feeds, which do not suit this leafy herb.

Care

Basil is not drought tolerant and needs a fairly constant supply of 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 leaves, which helps keep diseases such as downy mildew at bay. Watch for common problems including Fusarium wilt, gray mould, bacterial leaf spot and damping-off, along with pests like aphids, slugs and snails, spider mites and whiteflies. Pinch out the growing tips at least once a week to encourage bushy, productive growth. For the best flavour, harvest just before the plant flowers and pinch off any flower buds as they form, since flowering turns the plant woody and the leaves more bitter. Pick young leaves as you need them in the cool of the early morning, and for a full cut take the plant back to about 10 to 15 cm above the ground so it can regrow.