Basil

I am growing some basil from seed - Sweet Genovese. I have pricked 3 plants each into some 9cm pots and am planning to take them to the Country Markets plant stall at the West Mid Show. They are going great guns. Question is do I nip off the shoot tips to make them more bushy or do I leave them? Anyone any ideas.

 

well i suppose you could harvest the top leaves ..as i have some on my window ledge and i use it weekly and its gone quite bushy..basil does tend to go leggy if its left and not harvested,Their are some lovely basils around.I havnt grown anything this year as my greenhouse was wrecked in the storms and we are moving next year so i am having a years rest anyway the garden is full to bursting.

 

goeff- found this info for you, well for me too i suppose as i'm growing basil from seed for the first time this year!

"Once the basil has grown to a height of about 15cm, you can start to take off the top sets of leaves. Pinch them out to the next set of leaves growing below. This will ensure a continual growth and should encourage a healthy, bushy basil plant.

Prune your basil every 2 or 3 weeks to ensure a healthy bushy plant."

 

Right have done it. the wife grumbled that i had put the prunings in the compost bin in the kitchen...well I wasn't making my tomato and fresh basil loaf at the time! Now that is delicious.
I must say pinching out basil has to be one of the most pleasant gardening tasks you can imagine.
Yes wyledflower i have come across a few different types. I get some of my seeds from a seed wholesaler called Moles seeds and they have quite a few...they charge about the same as retailers for herbs but you get bags loads more. I would be interested if you know of anyone who does any really unusual ones.
Sorry to hear about your greenhouse. I think my garden has just burst. My patio has desappeared under pots of plants.

 

....sounds good; what is your recipe, please?

(see my post under the general gardening discussion under "mystery plant" and you'll see why....LOL)

 

well i used to get my basil seeds from suffolk herbs the quality is good and they are very good at delivery..i get all my herb seeds and wildflower seeds from them..they have a huge basil range..

http://www.suffolkherbs.com/index.asp

 

Many thanks. They do have a lot of basil.

 

I have grown the cinnamon basil last year and the purple basil with great success..

Varieties of Basil
There are many varieties of basil, the readily available ones are described below.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilcum) - the most popular variety in the UK used in Italian style dishes and salads. It grows to a height of 75cm (2ft 6in)

Cinnamon Basil (Ocimum basilcum) - form Mexico, with a cinnamon flavour. It grows to a height of 45cm (18in).

Lemon Basil (Ocimum citriodorum) - mild lemon flavour, commonly used with fish. It grows to a height of 30cm (12in).

Purple Basil (Ocimum basilcum purpurea) - similar to sweet basil, but with purple leaves. One of the more tender varieties. It grows to a height of 75cm (2ft 6in)

Red Rubin Basil (Ocimum basilcum) - similar to sweet basil but very darkly coloured leaves.
HHA. Ht. 75cm. A much deeper colour than purple basil. It grows to a height of 75cm (2ft 6in)

Thai Basil (Ocimum sp.) - very spicy, used in Indian cooking. It grows to a height of 90cm (3ft).

How To Harvest Basil
Pinch or cut the leaves off as required, but always from the top. When the plants begin to produce flowers, pinch those out as soon as possible to encourage more leafy growth.

Fresh basil is by far the best for flavour. However, it can be dried by tying the leafy stems into bunches and hanging them upside down in a dry, warm and dark place until dry. Then crumble the leaves into small particles and store in an airtight jar. Basil will retain almost all it's flavour if placed in small plastic bags and put in the freezer.

A more traditional method of preserving all the flavour of basil is to layer the leaves in a jar, and lightly salt them. Cover the leaves with a layer of olive oil. Seal the lid tightly and place in a cool, dark spot or refrigerate. Use the leaves as needed and reseal each time. This will keep up to six months. The oil soon becomes infused with the essence of the basil, making it ideal for use in dressings or in pastas.

Container Growing Basil
Basil is ideally suited to container growing in normal potting compost. Water regularly (from the base if possible) and feed twice a month with liquid plant food. As the season progresses, move them round the garden to the sunniest and most protected position. Basil will grow well indoors on a sunny windowsill

 

Well someone asked about the recipe for tomato and fresh basil load so here goes
10oz white bread mix
1 teaspoon castor sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
175ml of warm water
1 oz fresh Parmesan cheese finely grated

Bread mix in bowl and stir in sugar, salt and chopped basil. Mix oil and tomato puree together and then add to bread mix, then add enough water and mix to form a soft dough.
Sprinkle Parmesan onto a clean dry surface, turn dough on to surface and knead until cheese is incorporated and dough is smooth amd elastic. Shape dough into a round and place on a greased baking tray. Cover and leave in warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 220'C/425'F gs mark 7. Use a sharp knife and cut a large cross on top of loaf. Bake loaf for 15 minutes , then reduce temperature to 190'C/375'F gas mark 5 for further 15-20 minutes or until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Tastes lovely and moist. Will have to make some more soon. My wife freezes it and we have just eaten the last. Got to be one of my favourites.

 

Purple basil is very nice aswell, great on salads I've grown that too aswell as the common genevose.

 

I bought some other seeds on eBay (Triffids or something) and was sent some black basil seeds as a freebie. This is now a couple of cm high and I can't wait to try it. Does anyone know, they look pretty purple not black to me. Are they the same?

John :confused:

 

It sounds like the basil is wrongly labelled. Basil Red Rubin is nice in salads and that comes out purple. The seeds are still black though from what i remember.

 

Hi guys.

I've grown Lime Basil a couple of years running now. It's heavenly, although the leaves are quite small. It's like lemon basil, but, well, limier....
For a dried herb, a mixture of regular basil, along with plenty of lemon and lime basil, and some thai basil has a flavour much better than just genovese or other large leaf Italian Basil IMO.

I've found that keeping the leaves intact when storing in airtight jars, gives a better aroma when crushed up for cooking than if they are broken up.

Although I missed it last year, it's a good idea to let at least one plant go to seed, and collect the seeds for next year's planting, as they are quite pricey to buy.

Roll on summer!

Dave