Red Italian Basil Seeds 30 Seeds

Red Italian Basil is the colourful cousin of classic sweet basil, prized for its deep purple-burgundy leaves and a warm, slightly spicy aroma reminiscent of clove and anise. The smooth, glossy foliage holds its rich colour right through the season, making this variety as much an ornamental plant as a culinary one. Use the vivid leaves to add contrast and colour to fresh salads, to tint homemade oils and vinegars a beautiful rosy hue, or simply as a striking garnish that stands out against green herbs.

Planting

This is a warm-season annual that cannot tolerate frost. Start seed indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, or sow and transplant outdoors only once all danger of frost has passed, the soil has warmed, and night-time temperatures stay reliably above 10 C. Sow the seed shallowly, about 0.6 cm deep, and keep the medium at around 18 to 21 C for the best germination; seedlings usually emerge within 5 to 10 days. Give plants a position in full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light each day, choosing a warm, sheltered spot. Thin or transplant the seedlings once they have formed 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves, spacing full-size plants roughly 15 to 30 cm apart, or about 10 to 20 cm apart if you are growing them mainly for cut leaves. In Egypt the simplest approach is to start seed in protected seedbed conditions in late January to February and transplant out in March to April once nights are dependably above 10 C, which gives a long cutting season from June through to October; in milder Upper Egypt you can transplant a few weeks earlier.

Fertilizing

Basil grown in good, fertile ground often needs no extra feeding at all. Where you do feed, work in a low-nitrogen starter fertiliser before planting. If growth slows around two months after planting, give a light nitrogen feed by side-dressing with roughly 0.1 to 0.2 kg of calcium nitrate per row section. Plants in containers benefit from a diluted, balanced liquid feed every 3 to 6 weeks, and an organic-based balanced feed suits them well; avoid high-potassium feeds for potted basil.

Care

Red Italian Basil is not drought tolerant and needs a fairly constant supply of soil moisture, so keep the soil evenly moist. Water deeply about every 7 to 10 days, more often for plants in containers, watering at the base in the morning and keeping the foliage dry to reduce disease. Pinch out the terminal shoot tips at least once a week to encourage bushy, well-branched growth, and remove flower buds as they appear to keep the leaves at their best, since flowering turns plants woody and makes the leaves more bitter. Watch for downy mildew, grey mould and bacterial leaf spot, as well as aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, slugs and snails; watering at the base rather than over the leaves helps limit downy mildew. Begin harvesting young leaves as soon as you need them, ideally in the cool of the early morning and just before flowering for the best flavour. For a full cut, take the plant back to about 10 to 15 cm above the ground to encourage fresh regrowth.