Growing and Using Basil

Updated May 8, 2023

Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow because it smells and tastes delightful. Basil is used in many kinds of cuisines, as well as for making pesto, all kinds of vinegar, and oils.

This article will discuss how to grow basil, some fun facts, and several great recipes!

There are more than 60 varieties of basil that originate from all over the world, making it a frequently used herb in many ethnic dishes. In Early America, George Washington raised several varieties at Mt Vernon.

In addition, Holy Basil is often used in religious ceremonies for various cultures. A sprig of basil is often buried with the dead in Indian and Middle Eastern cultures to protect them on their journey.

Harry Potter fans will appreciate that the word basil comes from the Greek word basilisk as in the legendary repulsive reptile that works for Lord Voldemort.

Basil As An Insect Repellent

Basil is wonderful as a companion plant and repels many insects. In France, outdoor restaurants often find flowers mixed with basil in planters to ward bugs away from diners.

Basil essential oil acts as an insect repellent for the skin and does double duty as a good remedy for bee stings. Studies have shown that basil is good for repelling both mosquitoes and ticks.

Photo by Rob Pumphrey

How Much To Plant

Ellen Ogden, who wrote the book, The Complete Kitchen Garden, recommended planting (per family) six plants for pesto, two of the purple leaf varieties for vinegar, plus two scented varieties for oils or vinegar, as well as one leaf type basil for summer salads and grilling.

In addition, if you like Thai or eastern cuisine plant Thai basil, and if you are a fish aficionado plant a lemon or lime basil.

Varieties

There are many varieties of basil. Think about how you want to use basil in cooking or preserving and that will help you choose what varieties are best for you.

Sweet Basil

Sweet basil is the most popular type to grow. It is used in seasoning and for making pesto. Smooth, shiny green leaves are rich in

Seeds of Change is a great brand of organic seeds

Genevese Basil

This well known Italian variety is great for using fresh in salads and on bruschetta as well as drying for use in winter. It produces edible flowers which are wonderful for garnishing summer drinks and salads. 68 days to maturity.

Rutgers Obsession DMR

A newer sweet basil variety, Rutgers Obsession, has moderate resistance against Fusarium and strong resistance to downy mildew making it a hardy choice for southern gardens. Open-pollinated with 74 days to maturity.

Purple Basil

Basils with purple leaves are often grown for their ornamental qualities. However, they make a beautiful addition to salads, vinegars, and also make a nice filler in bouquets. Looking for a beautiful edible garden these are perfect when grown next to artemisia for the color contrast.

Purple Ruffles

Purple Ruffles have crinkly, serrated leaves which make it an attractive plant in the garden or a culinary masterpiece. Vigorous grower with good disease resistance. Gets fairly tall at 24 inches and should be planted ten to twelve inches apart. They take a bit longer to grow at 85 days to maturity but are worth the extra time.

Amethyst Improved

This Genovese style basil has large dark purple, sometimes reddish leaves that have great flavor. Grows to twenty inches tall and takes 74 days to mature.

Bush Basil

Bush Basil, sometimes called Greek basil, has smaller leaves on a bushy compact plant. These varieties are great for growing in a container or inside during the winter. They are great for salads, cooking, and making pesto.

Spicy Bush

This makes a great container plant with its globe shape and compact habit. Grows to about eight inches tall. However, the leaves pack a strong, spicy/sweet basil flavor that has made it a popular variety with chefs. Quick maturing in 55 days.

Check out my books on Amazon!

Scented Basils

Many varieties of basil have unique scents that make them fun to grow and add a distinct flavor when cooking.

Lemon or Lime Basil

I love both these varieties and have lumped them together here because they are used in similar ways. Both have small narrow leaves and a mild scent of either lemon or lime. I love using them for stir-fried vegetable dishes and they are both great with grilled fish. Mrs. Burns Lemon and Lime are popular strains.

Cinnamon

This zesty flavored basil is great for adding to tea, fruit salads, marinades, and omelets. Also, great for fresh bouquets, herbal wreaths, and dried arrangements. It has dark bronze leaves and petite pink flowers. A vigorous grower.

I love Neptune's Harvest fertilizers. This is a great one for basil and other herbs since they benefit from the extra minerals

Planting Guidelines

Like many herbs, basil needs only moderate amounts of fertilizer. Plant in well-drained soil that is rich in aged compost. You may not need anything else. If the leaves look a little stressed spray them with some fish emulsion.

Strive for a soil pH between 6.4 and 7.0 and locate your plants n full sun. Basil does well during the heat of summer. 

Starting Seeds

You can start basil inside about five weeks before your last frost. Place seeds in 18 trays or 2 - 3-inch pots. Fill pots with a lightweight organic seedling mix. Moisten the soil from the bottom. I do this by placing the seedling tray in a bigger tray filled with water and letting the soil soak up the water before planting.

Place seeds on top of the soil and gently press them in about 1/8 of an inch. Cover lightly with some pre-moistened soil. Some people like to mix some sand in with their soil to make it lighter.

Place seedlings in a warm place. Basil’s optimum germination temperature is 75 degrees Farenheight. Germination takes seven to ten days. Keep the soil moist but make sure to not overwater.

Basil is a tender perennial but we most likely grow it as an annual. In my 6b USDA Zone it will die when exposed to frost but if you are in Zone 9 or higher you could cultivate it all year.

Transplant

Plant Outside after all danger of frost has passed. If you plant early make sure to cover with row cover. Space plants eight inches apart.

You can stagger your planting times to keep you in a variety of basil all year long.

Keep your seedlings moist but not waterlogged. Drip irrigation works well for basil. Don’t water them from the top as cool water hitting the wet leaves can cause block spots.

Edible Landscaping

Basil’s a great crop to grow in edible landscapes and/or containers in urban gardens. It looks beautiful in herb or flower gardens. They look striking when combined with nasturtiums, marigolds, and zinnias. There are so many types of basils a pot full of several looks and smells wonderful together.

Indoors

Many people love to have herbs indoors during the winter. Basil is a great candidate for growing in the house. Sow seeds in mid-summer when the days are long. During the winter your basil will need supplemental light f you want it to produce new leaves. The smaller bush varieties do the best in an indoor environment.

Check out our YouTube channel!

Companion Planting

Basil is a great companion plant. Companion plants are those that help surrounding plants in the garden, either by repelling or attracting insects. Basil has a strong odor which we love but is unpleasant to many insects.

Plant basil with tomatoes and green peppers and root crops to ward off aphids, asparagus beetle, carrot flies, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies.

Plant basil around your asparagus patch to increase its vigor and protect it from the asparagus beetle.

Basil is a great pollinator plant, so let some of the stems flower, and they will attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

Harvest

Both basil leaves and flowers can be harvested. The catch is if you want the most aromatic and flavorful leaves you need to harvest the leaves before the plant stem making flowers. You can pinch off the flower buds to encourage leaf growth.

Pick leaves from the main stems. You can harvest a whole branch by cutting it just above the lower leaf nodes. The plant will then produce more stems and become fuller.

Storage

Use basil immediately if you can or place stems in a glass of cold water on the kitchen counter. Don’t put basil in the refrigerator as it will cause discoloration.

Harvest leaves mid-morning after the dew has dried from the leaves.

Drying

Basil is easy to dry. After harvesting the leaves on the stem put them together in small bunches of three to five stems. Hang upside down somewhere out of the sun for a couple of weeks in a place that has good air circulation.

Then you can place whole or crumble in a glass jar. Store in a cool dark pantry area.

You can also dry basil in a solar or electric dehydrator. When using an electric model dry basil on the lowest setting.

Cooking With Basil

Basil is a versatile herb and great in so many types of dishes.

Some great ways to use fresh basil:

• Add it to tomato or onion soup

• Place leaves on your pizza

• Chop up leaves and add to your salad

• Toasted bread with avocado, basil, and tomato

• Brushetta with tomato, mozzarella, and basil on French bread

• Fun addition to summer liquors such as daiquiris and Basil Rum fizz

Basil is fabulous on summer sandwhiches. Photo by Anna Pelzer

Pesto

There are many ways to make pesto. Here are some great pesto recipes from the Love and Lemon Blog

This video will show you how to make traditional Italian pesto. This one reminds me of my grandmother :)

Purple Pesto Pasta - beautiful and tasty

Adapted from Ellen Ogden

Ingredients

• 2 cups of purple basil (the Ruffles variety works well)

• 1 tbs. fresh tomatoes (you can also use sundried)

• 2 cloves of garlic - peeled and cut in half

• 1/3 cup of nuts (pine nuts, pecans, and walnuts all work well)

• 1/2 cup olive oil

Combine the first four ingredients and put in a food processor or blender. Chop for 30 seconds. Add the oil. Blend for another 30 seconds or until you reach desired consistency. Top on cooked pasta and serve.

Basil Vinegar

Making basil vinegar is so easy and it makes a delicious way to flavor many recipes. You can use either apple cider or white vinegar. If you are making basil vinegar using purple basil using a white vinegar base makes a very attractive. condiment.

Here is the traditional way to make basil (or any herb) vinegar.

Use a wide-mouth quart canning jar. Fill the jar with fresh-picked basil leaves. Some people feel it is best to bruise the leaves first with a wooden spoon so that they soak up the vinegar faster. Fill the jar with vinegar leaving a half-inch headspace.

Next, place the jar on a shelf for two weeks to let the flavors merge. After that, you are ready to use!

For some variety, you can add either a small hot pepper or a clove of garlic to the jar.

Lemon Basil Cocktail

LEMON BASIL COCKTAIL

This recipe is adapted from Girl Gone Gourmet

One serving - you may need to adjust

Ingredients:

• Fresh basil leaves - depending on taste I used 3

• 1/4 cup Simple syrup – or you can use organic Agave

• Vodka - 1/2 cup

• 2 slices of fresh lemon

• 1/4 cup of fresh or bottled lemon juice

• 3 Ice Cubes

Procedure

1. Mix the basil and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker by rocking back and forth.

2. Add the ice, vodka, and lemon juice. Secure the lid and shake the cocktail shaker gently.

3. Pour the lemon basil cocktail into a glass. Garnish it up with lemon slices and fresh basil leaves.
   

Author, Ame Vanorio has 29 years of experience living off-grid, is a certified teacher, and is an organic farmer. She is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Check out our MY BOOKS page for books Ame has written.