{"product_id":"sweet-basil-organic-seeds","title":"Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Organic Seeds – Classic Genovese-Type Culinary Herb, Fragrant Aromatic Leaves, Great for Pesto \u0026 Italian Cooking","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMinimum:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e100+ Seeds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Classic Genovese-Type Herb for Pesto and Italian Cooking\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFew herbs define a cuisine the way basil defines Italian cooking. Brush a leaf and the scent hits at once, sweet, peppery, and warm with clove, the aroma that goes into pesto, sauces, and caprese salads all summer long. This classic Genovese-type sweet basil grows fast from seed, produces large, tender, deeply fragrant leaves, and keeps producing as long as you keep picking. This is organic, open-pollinated seed, true to the variety Italian kitchens have relied on for generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho Grows Sweet Basil?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe home cook wanting fresh, fragrant leaves for pesto and Italian dishes.\u003cbr\u003eThe beginner gardener wanting a fast, easy, forgiving herb for a first garden.\u003cbr\u003eThe container gardener wanting a productive herb for a pot, window box, or patio.\u003cbr\u003eThe seed saver interested in an open-pollinated variety that breeds true.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat This Classic Culinary Herb Actually Is\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOcimum basilicum\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender annual herb in the mint family, grown worldwide for its aromatic leaves. Genovese-type sweet basil is the classic Italian culinary form, with large, glossy, slightly cupped green leaves and the sweet, peppery, clove-scented flavor that makes it the traditional choice for pesto. Plants grow bushy and upright, typically 18 to 24 inches tall, and branch readily when the tips are pinched, producing more leaves and delaying flowering. Small white flowers appear in summer and attract bees, though flowering signals the plant to slow leaf production. As an open-pollinated variety, it breeds true from saved seed. Grown as a warm-season annual, not frost-hardy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the Garden \u0026amp; Kitchen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFresh pesto:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blend fresh leaves with olive oil, garlic, nuts, and cheese for classic Genovese pesto.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCaprese and salads:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tear fresh leaves over tomatoes and mozzarella or into green salads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSauces and pizza:\u003c\/strong\u003e Add at the end of cooking to preserve the full, fresh aroma.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrying and freezing:\u003c\/strong\u003e Preserve a summer surplus by freezing leaves or blending them into oil.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContainer herb garden:\u003c\/strong\u003e Grow in a pot near the kitchen door for easy picking.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePollinator support:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let a few plants flower to draw bees to the garden.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing Sweet Basil Seeds\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStart method:\u003c\/strong\u003e Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost, or direct sow after soil has warmed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGermination:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sprouts in 5 to 10 days in warm soil.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil temperature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Germinates best between 70 and 85°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing:\u003c\/strong\u003e Space plants 10 to 12 inches apart for bushy growth and good air circulation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSunlight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours daily.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rich, well-drained soil with good fertility supports the largest, most flavorful leaves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatering:\u003c\/strong\u003e Consistent moisture; water at the base and avoid soaking the leaves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePinching:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pinch growing tips regularly to encourage branching and delay flowering.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pick leaves often once plants reach 6 to 8 inches, cutting above a pair of leaves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Typically ready for first harvest in 60 to 70 days from seeding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHardiness:\u003c\/strong\u003e Grown as a warm-season annual; killed by frost and chilled by temperatures below 50°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore You Close This Page\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the basil that earned its place in the garden by tasting like what basil is supposed to taste like, sweet, peppery, and unmistakably Italian. Sweet Basil grows fast from seed, rewards regular picking with a steady supply of large, fragrant leaves, and fits in a garden bed or a single pot by the door. It's open-pollinated and easy to save seed from, ready to become a summer staple. Grow the herb that makes the pesto.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Terra Mater Gardens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54501361877310,"sku":"11654","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/8836\/7166\/files\/Untitleddesign-1419.png?v=1790903058","url":"https:\/\/www.terramatergardens.com\/products\/sweet-basil-organic-seeds","provider":"Terra Mater Gardens","version":"1.0","type":"link"}