Sweet large basil is used commonly in mediterranean cuisine. Its large bright green sweet flavoured leaves are used in pesto, with pasta, to make preserves, to add flavours to tomato sauces, in salads. It can be grown in a container or in the greenhouse.
Scientific Name: ocimum basilicum
Plant Life Cycle: N/A
Optimal Germination Temperature: 20-28C
Germination time in days: 7-10 days
Indicative Days to maturity: 30-50 days
Sunlight: Full sun
Soil requirement: Moderate rich, moist soil
Sowing and cultivation: Sow indoors 6 weeks prior to last frost. Plant at 1/2 cm deep and keep at 21°. Transplant when seedlings have 3-4 sets of leaves, spacing at 10-20 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart. Pinch out the flower heads after the flowering to encourage new leaf growth.
