BASIL

What are your 5 favorite basils?

Real or imagined? If chocolate basil ever comes out of the mists and myths, I would like to try it. For real basils:

Holy basil
Thai basil
Genovese basil
Lemon basil - Mrs. Burns
Cinnamon basil

Holy basil
Thai basil
Genovese basil
Lemon basil - Mrs. Burns
Cinnamon basil.

The same as I But I have a new one that I am planting this year called lettuce leaf basil

I can never get away from Sweet Basil. It's the only one I really like.

Jerry

Thanks,
I want to put a Basil bed in at the Botanical Gardens and there are just too many choices.
I like Pistou also for looks and flavor.
Anyone familiar with "Green Pepper Basil"?
Saving some Chocolate to put in also. :)

My very favorite is Greek Columnar Basil- It stays bushy & upright and doesn't go ro flower.
Also Thai is pretty.

Does anyone like any of the colored ones?
Please continue the input--I will put the top 10 basils recommended here in the Dothan Botanical Gardens.

I can only choose 5?!

Did you see the article I wrote on using basils for edible landscaping?

Italian basil, Genovese type that a friend brought back from Italy -- my very favorite cooking basil.

Thai Basil 'Siam Queen'
I grew Magical Michael last year, and it was more compact, but 'SQ' is just as showy and I like its flavor better. Cinnamon basil is also wonderful, but Thai basil has bigger blooms plus more culinary uses for me.

Minette has had the most reliably compact shape of any of the small-leafed basils I've grown. it's tasty, too! I've only grown a couple plants of 'Pistou', so I'm not yet sure which one I like better (they're very similar).

Lime Basil -- I have to have this one and/or Lemon Basil each year. I don't do a lot of cooking with it, but I adore the scent. If I had to choose between them, I'd probably choose Lime.

Purple Basil -- I have to have at least one purple basil for garden contrast as well as the pink color it adds to vinegar. I'm not sure I have a favorite purple variety; I tend to grow a different one each year.

"Hot & Spicy" Sumatran basil -- OK, so this is #6
I grew it out last year for the first time, but I think it might be a favorite for its intense, peppery flavor. I also really loved a Greek Basil I got from DeBaggio's a couple year ago, but it didn't come true from seed the next year (I isolated it, too! my apologies to anybody who gave growing space to my seeds based on my rave review of the parent plants.)

pensacolagardens-sorry I threw the "Chocolate in"--now you, critter, herbalbetty-et al are upset with me. LOL

If you're growing a purple basil for "pretty," I recommend 'Purple Ruffles'. I'm trying a new-to-me ruffled green basil this year ('Serata'), and I think they'll make a great combo.

Vort, you should know, you can NOT tease a woman with promises of chocolate and then not deliver. It makes us cranky!

I have Purple Ruffels and Red Rubin sprouted from seed and cuttings from last year.
I am going to have to expand my alloted area to accomodate 20 Basils instead of 10.
Thanks to everyone for their input and I will use each of your suggestions but cannot find the Greek Columnar--Any source?

I think that's one that's only propagated from cuttings, not seed.

Right- Greek Columnar is only from cuttings. I have just placed an order here-
http://www.rosesandherbs.com/

herbalbetty---(chicken or egg thing) If you weren't so cranky I would have sent you some chocolate Basil. :)

JoParrot-----Wow! what great prices--thanks

Alright buddy, see if I help you with herb growing questions anymore! Actually, I would settle for a little warmth. This morning was 2 below zero. Basil of any sort would have second and third thoughts about being sent to my house right now!

Good grief!!!!----thats waaay too cold.

I bought an african blue basil and a varigated type from a herb farm a couple of years ago.These types were from cuttings only also.The herb farm owner told me I could over winter them indoors.I tried,they didn't make it.I also tried to take cuttings,again no luck.But for that one summer they were really nice plants.My friend grows an entire acre of nothing but chocolate basil.But I'm sure none of you are interested in that plant.Edge

Naww-no interest--It is too common ROFL

Good greif you guys, I'm still looking for chocolate Basil off and on. It 's getting pretty bad when you google chocolate basil and get nothing but what you yourself have posted somewhere.

Hello To All;

8B Basil Folks - I have a question.....

I am a beginner gardener entering my second season. :) One of my very favorite plants I planted last year was a Sweet Basil which looked & smelled Gorgeous....shot up to 4+' tall in no time....and made for some delicious Spaghetti's, Lasagne's & more.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Gustav knocked it completely over, then it developed a fungus. DH told me a few months ago to cut it back. And I did for the most part. Now it looks dead. When planting it, I had read it was an annual in 8b, and that it was a perennial in 8b. Now all my little plants are starting to show some life...but nothing from the basil.

I don't know whether to give up on it, and start over, or give it some time and look for some life....

Even (ALL) my Hibiscus have shown signs of life. And this Basil is next to rock, wood, in a microclimate that might be more like a 9a/9b...

We have had a few freezes, and the famous "Snow of all time" (But the snow didn't kill any plants, I think they were protected by the ice ).

So I need to know the hard truth. Is my Basil gone? Or do I have any hope?

Any help/advice is much appreciated !

Mary
Baton Rouge, LA
8B

1. Genovese
2. Large leafed Italian--I love these with whole milk mozerella rolled up inside and some tomato, that's lunch around here
3. spicy globe or Minette for a small leaf (edges veggie beds nicely)
4. Mrs. Burns lemon
5. I like the Greek columnar for some things, but it ain't sweet
6. (who's counting) Lime for scent
**I wish I had room for the purples or ruffled leaves, but space is becoming a serious issue around here (my excuse for destroying more turf grass and putting in more raised beds)
Debbie

Mary,
Chances are it's a gonner. I know of no Basil that is perennial in 8b.

Well glad to see I'm not the only nut up at this hour of the night!!
first my least favorite basil...Lemon........eck...........
only other two I have and I'd like to remedy that is some sort of purple basil w/ ruffely edges...and it's yummy!!!
another is lettuce leaf and it's ok.
I'd like to get a bunch of others but just haven't got down to looking into them,.
I need ones that can hang w/ the heat here in the summer, which is why I usually grow them in pots so I can move them to where they get a little mid day shade.

4004
Grow one in a 6 - 8" pot and take indoors in winter...it will do OK in a sunny window. It will give you more seeds than you will ever want.

Jerry

Okay -

Thank you all for your help!

Looks like I need to get to the nursery for more basil today. :)

Very interesting thread.

I feel so fortunate. I've purchased seed for Genovese, lemon and Thai basil. Looks like I've hit most everyone's "must have" list. I grew cinnamon last year, and didn't find much use for it or notice much of a "cinnamon" aroma. I'm going to start a bunch of each. All the companion planting books and sites say that you should plant basil around tomatoes and peppers -- for me, that's a lot of basil!

Hmm....Does anyone know why they recommend that? Our veggies are banished to the back corner of the garden...tomatoes and peppers....

But I planted the basil last year by the pool...and was glad I did because it was so beautiful and fragrant....

I wonder what the advantages are? I wouldn't want to plant more than one because the one I had last year I clipped and clipped and finally when everyone got tired of me giving them basil I would just grind up in the disposal. (wonderful scent)

I will definitely dry more than I did last year though....I just ran out...

Mary

I'm a big fan of freezing rather than drying... check out my 3rd DG article on herbs, "Save Some for Later" :-)

Hmm...I would have never thought to freeze them....As you may remember...I'm a beginner...Is "Save Some" on a blog in the "herbs department"?

Also...as a beginner, I thought....Well, if you use them Fresh...they will be Stronger in flavor! NOT SO as you know...you use more when they are fresh, less when dried....

So what if they are frozen, more or less?

4004---USE FROZEN SAME AS FRESH

4004,

Plant basil everywhere. You don't have to "use" all of it. It's a wonderful, beautiful, fragrant plant on its own in the garden, without being harvested. Plant it by the pool, plant it by the tomatoes, plant it by the back door and the kitchen window. It's cheap, prolific, easy to grow, easy to start and hard to kill (unless you're Jack Frost).

The reason for the companion planting recommendation is that it has been observed to help tomatoes overcome both insects and diseases and to improve both growth and vigor. It also repels mosquitoes and flies (Riotte: Carrots Love Tomatoes).

Sorry, here's the link (you can also click on my name for a list on my member page, or go to "articles" under the "guides & info" tab)

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/111/

At the bottom, click on "more articles by Jill" to find my other herb articles (and a few more).

You guys are wonderful...I can't click on links till tomorrow...but you guys are wonderful....

ummm, maybe we should do a "basil seed swap" ....now I'm thinking I've got all kinds of spots to put different basils..well, but here the full sun would burn it up in summer, so it would have to be in places that get some shade...

JoParrott

You already got your order? I guess because I am way up North I'll have to wait longer- shucks-

Okay - Ya'll have me now wanting to plant 2 or 3 Basils. But they all must be different.

My favorite is sweet basil which will go by the pool. I LOVED my sweet basil last year but don't see it in the lists above....maybe it is a "beginner Basil".

(But I really love it)

So are there any basils that are "Better at Helping Tomatoes Grow" than others?