Fresh basil is easy to grow and adds tons of flavor to your favorite dishes.
A popular and exceptionallyeasy-to-grow herb, basil produces tasty foliage from early summer through fall.
The eye-catching bushy plants grow equally well in garden beds and containers.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
The leaves lend a distinctive taste to salads, pizza, and pasta dishes.
Add leaves to dishes just before serving for the best flavor and aroma.
Basil also feels right at home in a mixed border.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
This herb’s green or purple foliage complements a host of annuals and perennials.
Basil is quick to germinate and easy to grow from seed.
To grow basil in winter months, keep it in a bright, sunny window and water regularly.
Credit: Denny Schrock
It grows quickly from seed, so you will get a full-size plant in a single growing season.
If you want tokeep your basil plant going, move it indoors before temperatures get below 50F.
Light
Basil grows best in full sun.
Credit: Denny Schrock
give a shot to plant basil where it willget at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.
Soil and Water
Plant basil in organically-rich,well-drained soil.
Once established, basil will withstand occasionally dry conditions but will do best withconsistent watering.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Snip away flowering stems as soon as you spot them to promote new, tasty foliage.
Start harvesting basil as soon as plants unfurl at least four sets of leaves.
Pick only as many individual leaves as you’ll use.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Basil turns brown if stored in the refrigerator.
Then strip off the leaves, pat dry, and use yourfavorite method to preserve them.
Pests and Problems
Japanese beetles are basil’s primaryand most destructivepest.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Non-chemical methods should be usedto control these insectson food crops such as basil.
Protect single or small basil plants by covering them with cheesecloth.
The loosely woven fabric will allow light and water to pass through while stopping beetles from reaching the plants.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
The size ofbasil varietiesalso varies greatly, from less than a foot tall to about 3 feet tall.
The young leaves have a purplish-blue cast but turn green when mature.
Its flowers are pink, making it an attractiveornamental plant.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Start harvesting the fine leaves when the plant reaches 6 inches in height.
It is especially suited to growing in containers.
Try growing this throw in of basil in pots and window boxes.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
‘Cardinal’ basil
‘Cardinal’ is named for its reddish-purple flower clusters that resemblecelosia.
This basil also has attractive burgundy stems on plants that reach 24-30 inches tall.
Harvest and use the green leaves as you would other culinary basils.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
This herb produces leaves with a light lemony fragrance and flavor.
It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
‘Genovese’ basil
‘Genovese’ is perfect for fans of fresh pesto.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
This large-leaf Italian basil yields plentiful foliage packed with aromatic oils, ideal for true Neapolitan-style cooking.
‘Genovese’grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
‘Greek Column’ basil
This tall, narrow variety of basil bears lemon-scented leaves.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It grows 36 inches tall and 10 inches wide.
An All-America Selections winner, this basil is prized for its bold white and purple flowers.
It grows 15 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Burns’ Lemon' basil
A heat-loving heirloom basil variety from New Mexico, ‘Mrs.
Burns’ Lemon' grows 18-24 inches tall and has an intense lemony fragrance and flavor.
Grow it in herb gardens, vegetable gardens, or containers.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
‘Napolitano’ basil
This throw in of basil is one of the best for pesto.
Also called Italian large-leaf basil, its large, fragrant leaves can be harvested all summer long.
It’s a productive variety that grows 2 feet tall and 18 inches wide.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Tidy plants grow 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide and thrive in pots.
‘Red Rubin’ basil
This basil variety dresses up garden-fresh dishes with purple-toned leaves.
It grows about 2 feet tall and 14 inches wide, making it ideal for containers or garden beds.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
The foliage of this basil varietymakes great filler for flower arrangements.
It’s a Southeast Asian pop in with strong basil flavor.
This basil variety grows 36 to 48 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
Credit: Gary Palmer
It has a spicy flavor, tiny leaves, and compact form.
It makes a great edging plant for herb gardens or flower borders.
This arrangement offers tons of color and texture as well as variety in flavors.
Credit: Gary Palmer
it’s possible for you to also keep theharvest going with springandfall versions of this plan.
