401 · Basil

About this plant

The traditional Italian pesto basil, with large, cupped green leaves and a sweet, fragrant, faintly anise flavor. Use it fresh in pesto, caprese, and pasta, adding it at the end so the aroma survives. A warm-season annual that thrives in desert heat once the soil warms; harvest by cutting whole stems above a leaf pair and it will branch back.

Planting it at home

When to plant out

Wait until after our last frost (about mid-February) and warm soil — usually March. Until then keep the pot in a sunny, sheltered spot and bring it in on cold nights.

Where

Containers, Raised bed

Spacing

10–12"

Size

12–24"

Support

Bush / compact — little or no support

Care

Sun

Full sun (6–8 h)

Water

Moderate; let topsoil dry

Feed

Light feeding only; too much fertilizer weakens the flavor (general guide).

Good to know

Grown from

Seed — sown by FHCG volunteers

Uses

Pesto, caprese, pasta

Harvest

Pinch tips

Life cycle

Annual

Heirloom or hybrid

Heirloom — saved seeds grow true

Pollinators

High — when allowed to flower

Heat (our summer)

Moderate–High