May 2012. Basils are great to grow because they are so easy to look after and can be propagated by off cuts. I started growing some sweet basil and basil neapolitan from seeds last year and loved their aroma. Because they grow so easily, they have multiplied over and over and I've started having to give the leaves away when I do a major pruning....
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Basil Neapolitan or Italian Basil - I prefer this to sweet basil
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I've also tried making pesto and pesto bread...
I have read that allowing the basils to flower takes away from the scent of the leaves. However, since I have so many plants, I decided to allow some of them to flower - the scent from the flowers are even stronger and the bees love them...
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| Flowering Italian Basil |
I have since broadened the range to include several types of Thai basils too... Love their smells and they are great for cooking!
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| Thai Lemon Basil - just been pruned |
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Purple stemmed Thai Basil
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| Basil off cuts root very easily - just soaking in water |
I have just started growing Holy Basil. From the look of the plants, I think this might be otherwise known as Tulsi... Because there is such a profusion of types of basil, I'm not sure if I've got the names exactly right... let me know if you think I haven't!
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| Holy Basil |
My next project is to use the Thai Basils to make Asian Pesto.....
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