This sweet basil can be used to make Pesto Genovese. No Italian cooking is complete without the aromatic flavour of basil, a tender leafy herb with fat, glossy green leaves. Grow in a container in a sunny spot on the patio or indoors on a bright windowsill and keep well-watered for a plentiful supply. Chop finely over tomatoes or blend with olive oil for the best pesto ever.
How to care for Ocimum basilicum Pesto Genovese:
Pick plants over regularly and remove any developing flowerheads immediately to prevent bolting (running to seed) and to encourage lots of fresh young leaves.
Sowing instructions:
Sow seeds into pots of free-draining seed compost on a warm, sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse from late spring. Protect seedlings from slugs and cold and keep well-watered as they grow. Plant out into the herb garden or into roomy pots or troughs from early summer, after all threat of frost has passed, allowing 15-20cm between plants.
Eventual height:
0.3m
Eventual spread:
0.3m
Soil:
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil