Description
The most popular culinary basil loved for its large leaves and sweet, mildly spicy flavour! Sweet, large-leaf variety sourced from Genoa area of Italy, the pesto capital of the world! Great culinary variety as it does not bolt as quickly as other types. It also retains its flavour well as it ages. Perfect for pesto salads, and any dish calling for a large leaved basil. Basil is a warm weather annual that thrives in well drained fertile soil in a full or partially shady location where it will get 6-8 hours of sun per day. Basil grows best when it is guaranteed adequate drainage which is why they do best in pots or raised beds. Ensure good air flow between plants, by adequate spacing as basil is typically susceptible to fungal molds. In order to encourage a more branched and bushy plant, prune to just above the second set of leaves after they have produced their first 6 leaves and keep pruning back to their first set when each branch reaches 6-8 leaves. Continue to pinch buds and harvest leaves regularly to encourage new leaf growth. Harvest in the morning when leaves contain the highest concentration of aromatic oils.