Basil

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Basil dishes up classic Italian flavor in eye-catching bushy plants suitable for garden beds or containers. Grow this tasty beauty in a sunny spot, and you'll reap rewards of flavorful foliage in shades of green, purple, or bronze. Basil lends a distinctive taste to salads, pizza, and pasta dishes. Use small leaves whole; chop larger leaves. Add leaves to dishes just before serving for greatest taste and aroma. Basil is exceedingly sensitive to cold; start seeds indoors or sow outside after all danger of frost is past.

Light:

Sun, Part Sun

Plant Type:

Annual, Herb

Plant Height:

1-3 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-3 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers, Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Deer Resistant, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

Spicy Bush basil

(Ocimum 'Spicy Bush') is a compact variety (12 inches tall and wide) with tiny leaves, making it an ideal plant for edging gardens or growing in containers.
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Siam Queen basil

(Ocimum 'Spicy Bush') is beautiful and bushy, soaring to 3 feet tall. Pick leaves or purple flowers to infuse stir-fry, oils, or salad with traditional Thai flavors.
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Red Rubin basil

(Ocimum 'Red Rubin') dresses up garden-fresh dishes with purple-toned leaves. This basil grows about 2 feet tall and 14 inches wide, making it ideal for containers or garden beds.
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Osmin basil

(Ocimum 'Osmin') offers glossy, deep purple leaves that bear a sweet, fruity aroma that lends pungent color to culinary creations. Tidy plants grow 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide and thrive in pots.
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Genovese basil

(Ocimum 'Genovese') is perfect for fans of fresh pesto. This large-leaf Italian basil yields plentiful foliage packed with aromatic oils, ideal for true Neapolitan-style cooking. It grows 3 feet tall.
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Garden Plans

Heritage Vegetable Garden
Lush Foliage Garden Plan
Formal Knot-Garden Plan
Inspired by Italy Vegetable Garden Plan
Summer Vegetable Garden Plan
Asian-Inspired Vegetable Garden Plan

Harvest Tips

Start snipping as soon as plants unfurl at least four sets of leaves. Pick only as many individual leaves as you'll use. To store fresh basil for up to five days, clip sprigs and treat them like fresh cut flowers, holding them in water at room temperature. Basil turns brown if stored in the refrigerator. When frost threatens, cut plants, plunging stems into a few inches of water in a clean bucket.

To store leaves, dry, freeze, or hot pack in sterilized bottles with vinegar and olive oil. Or preserve basil flavor in pesto, which stores in the refrigerator up to one month and can be frozen up to two years.