Author: Alice Spenser-Higgs

To experience one of nature's most delicious perfumes, just bury your nose in a handful of freshly picked basil leaves.

The fragrance and flavour of basil has made it one of our most popular culinary and household herbs. It also has many health benefits, especially as a cleansing tonic for the system.

Among the annuals there is cinnamon basil, lemon basil, ‘Red Rubin', Thai Siam Queen (spicy aroma) and Greek basil. The perennials include columnar basil, the perennial pink basil with lilac flowers, and sacred basil. All are edible and if some are allowed to flower they produce swathes of delicate flowers that attract the bees.

Growing basil

All varieties are equally easy to grow. In hot areas they prefer morning sun and full sun in cooler areas.

Basil does best in fertile, well composted soil that drains well. They need more water than other Mediterranean herbs (like thyme, rosemary, sage) so should be watered regularly; the best time being midday rather than in the evening. Feed once a month for lush leaves. Pinch off growing tips of small plants to encourage bushy growth

Basil is a good companion plant for tomatoes, reputedly increasing the flavour of the fruit and promoting healthy growth. It also helps repel aphids, white fly, fruit fly and beetles.

Annual basil and some perennial varieties are frost and cold sensitive. The perennial pink basil and sacred basil will survive winter if planted in a sheltered, sunny part of the garden.

Pests

Basil is generally pest free but may be attacked by spider mites (especially when hot and dry), aphids, and beetles. Too much water or poor drainage in excessively wet weather can cause botrytis (black patches on the leaves and stems). Deal with insects by cutting back the plant or spraying it with an organic insecticide. Improve drainage by adding milled bark or coarse compost to the soil.

Harvesting

To extend the harvest of leaves don't let the plants flower as the leaves can become bitter. Remove the flowering tops as they appear.

For a constant supply of fresh leaves plant a new batch of basil every six to eight weeks or bring in new young plants. Once the second planting is producing enough leaves for picking, allow the first batch of basil to flower so that you can enjoy the flowers as well.

Ideally, pick the leaves as you need them because they don't store well in the refrigerator. Leafy stems can be put in a jug or bottle of water and kept for a few days.

Containers and window boxes

Basil also grows well in pots but do not allow the pots to dry out. Keep them in a position that receives morning sun, but not full sun. Water every second or third day and feed with a liquid feed at half strength twice a month.

If you don't have a garden, keep pots of basil on windowsill that gets bright light or morning sun. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Use a liquid feed to promote growth. Basil grown indoors will have a limited lifespan; once most of the leaves have been harvested or it starts to look unhappy, throw it out and buy a new pot.

Varieties

Besides the popular Sweet basil, the following basil varieties are available:

Annuals

• Cinnamon Basil ( Ocimum basilicum spp) has olive-green, spicy cinnamon scented leaves and pink flowers. Use in dishes requiring a sweet spicy taste.
• Basil ‘Red Rubin' ( Ocimum basilicum spp) is a new purple leaf variety that maintains its deep colour and has pink flowers. Other purple leaf varieties are Basil ‘Dark Opal' and 'Purple Ruffles' which have large, dark shiny purple-black, ruffled and fringed leaves and pink flowers. The purple basils need more sun than green basils because of the lack of chlorophyll in the leaves.
• 'Siam Queen' has lush green leaves, square purple stems and deep purple flowers. The aroma is a cross between cinnamon and anise. Especially good for Thai cuisine.
• ‘Magical Michael' is a compact, bushy plant with small purple and white flowers that are attractive as a garnish. It's an attractive garden plant that is very attractive to bees.
• ‘Sweet Basil Large Leaved' is the normal sweet basil on steroids! It has very large aromatic leaves and grows 50 to 60cm high.

Perennials

• ‘Perennial Basil Pink' – has small mottled green leaves with a strong aromatic fragrance and lilac flowers. The leaves can be used in soups and stews. It is semi-frost tender.
• ‘Columnar Basil' is an upright, ornamental basil that is neat and easy to grow. The very aromatic leaves can be used in salads. It is frost sensitive.

Uses

In the kitchen:

• Basil is most associated with Italian and Thai cooking and goes particularly well with tomatoes, whether fresh or cooked up as sauces. Add the leaves at the end of cooking.
• It is also the main ingredient of pesto and a good way to preserve extra basil is to blend the basil, olive oil and pine/almond nuts and freeze it, omitting the parmesan cheese which is added later. The leaves can also be used in salads, or to flavour herb vinegar, herb oil and herb butter.

Medicinal properties

Basil has antidepressant, antiseptic and soothing properties. The fresh leaves can be made into a cough syrup with honey or an infusion can be drunk to help relieve a cold. Rubbing fresh leaves onto insect bites and stings will help relieve the itching.