Basil has both aromatic scents and favors. Its leaves and flower buds are edible.
It also can be added raw to salads, sandwiches or used in cooked dishes such as the ever popular Italian pasta with tomato and basil sauce or favorite Thai dish: stir-fried pork with chilli and holy basil.
Latin Name:Ocimum basilicum
Common: Basil
Zone:Tender Annual
Size: Varies with variety.
Exposure: Full Sun, around 6-8 hours a day.
Harvesting
Basil is a pick and come again crop. It is best to pick a few leaves off a number of plants than picking all the leaves off one plant. Harvest the top most leaves first.
Basil will grow all year round indoors but outdoor plants should be dug up and brought indoors before the first fall frosts if you want to extend the plants growing season into the winter.
If the plant sets flowers, it is on its way to going to seed and will not be bushing out with leaves. Once a basil plant goes to seed, the existing leaves lessen in flavor. You\'ll want to prevent your basil from blooming for as long as possible, by harvesting or pinching off the top sets of leaves
Gardening Tips:
--Don\'t bother planting it until the daytime temperatures remain in the 70s F. and night temperatures are above 50 degrees F. Seeds can be started indoors 3-4 weeks before last spring frost date.
--Unlike many Mediterranean herbs, basil likes a somewhat rich soil and doesn\'t like to be kept dry.
--Basil is very sensitive to frost and will be one of the first plants to go in the fall. You can extend the season slightly by covering your plants with row covers when frost is threatened.
-- Aphids are the biggest basil pest, especially if grown indoors. Beetles and slugs can be a nuisance outdoors, tearing holes in the leaves.
Health benefits of Basil:
- Basil leaves contains many health benefiting essential oils such as eugenol, citronellol, linalool, citral, limonene and terpineol. These compounds are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
- The herbs parts are very low in calories and contain no cholesterol, but are very rich source of many essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
- Basil herb contains exceptionally high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
- Basil contains good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids, which helps control heart rate and blood pressure.
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