Dolly Certified Organic Genovese Basil Herbs Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Dolly Organic basil seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Dolly is a fast-growing and particularly nice Genovese type basil with large, highly aromatic leaves just waiting to be torn fresh over pasta and salads. Leaves grow up to 10cm (4") with minimally serrated margins. Dolly Organic basil is well suited to container growing and resistant to cool night temperatures, so it's a better choice than many for coastal gardens. Pinching the growing tip will keep the plants very bushy, producing more leaves, and delaying the flowering stage. Once flowers appear, the plant's flavour will be at its peak, so harvest all at once, or just keep picking as needed.

• Large, highly aromatic leaves
• Tear over fresh pasta and salads
• Well suited to container growing
• Resistant to cool nights
• Certified Organic

All About Dolly Organic

Latin

Ocimum basilicum, Holy basil is O. tenuiflora.

Family: Lamiaceae

Difficulty

Easy

We Recommend

Certified Organic Genovese Basil (HR1019). This is the standard by which to compare all of the other fine basil varieties. Traditional, heirloom, Italian basil is the best choice for pesto. For Urban Gardeners: Certified Organic Dolly Basil (HR1025) has all the aroma of Genovese, but with slightly larger leaves, faster growth, and a better tolerance of the cool nighttime temperatures that can occur on balconies and rooftop gardens. It’s also slightly better suited for container growing.

Season

Warm season Exposure: Full sun

Timing

Basil grows well in containers indoors at any time of year provided you can supply enough light. For outdoor growing, sow basil seeds throughout late spring for transplanting to the garden after the summer solstice. Or direct sow in early summer, once the soil has warmed up. Basil requires warm soil and full sun. Optimal temperature for germination: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

Starting

Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep in sterilized seed starting mix. Basil is prone to damping off, so once seeds sprout, make sure they are adequately ventilated, and kept under very bright light. Thin to 20-25cm (8-10″) apart. Using bottom heat speeds germination.

Growing

Use any rich, loose, well-drained soil. Once plants are 15cm (6″) tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage really bushy growth prior to harvest. Watch for signs of flower buds forming in mid-summer, and pinch these off to promote more foliage.

Harvest

Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds.