A very nice person (who is here sometimes) once offered me a million dollars if I could solve her powdery mildew problem with basil. Last year I tried to grow basil but except for Tulsi, nothing managed to produce seed.
I know a lot of you love basil! So I’m hoping to encourage a basil discussion here, and hopefully some basil crossing and selection for a delicious and disease resistant grex that we can share. And some of you can solve the basil powdery mildew problem! Is there a basil steward somewhere so we can offer it with the seed project?
Also I just found a basil grex started by Joseph L. offered by the Buffalo Seed Company. I’m on a seed diet, I cannot buy any more seeds, so maybe this will be good for somebody
Who is growing basil? What challenges do you have? What varieties have you considered crossing?
I have recently been turned on to basil because I was exposed to the idea that it acts as a repellent for stink bugs.
Last year stink bugs and leaf footers were the dominant pest for me. It is reported to also repel a number of other type of pests as well.
I’ve never grown basil before. I have a packet of sweet basil that was given to me. Now that I think about it, since I am planning to grow a lot of tomatoes, it does make sense to grow a lot of basil leaves.
Hopefully we will get a lot of rain next week. If so, I will plant basil on a bunch of random spots and let the rain do the rest.
My small leaved Basil crossed with Tulsi. I had to cut it out. I don’t like Tulsi’s smell at all.
I just gathered some five i guess Basil varieties and mixed them in a grex. They grow well but are very frost and snail tender. I don’t have a problem with blight, so if you want your million dollars come and get seeds in France.
I grow a couple varieties each year. Always an Italian (I’ve got a very conventional large leaf variety that reseeds reliably; I’ve heard of some smaller leaf types that I’d like to try eventually.) and a Thai. This year I’m trying the Iraqi from Experimental Seed Network as well. It’s not of harvesting size yet, but the aroma is intriguing. I’ve never had a powdery mildew problem, or really any disease or pest. My biggest challenge is that basil in general has a strong propensity to bolt in high temperatures, limiting the leaf growth in late summer. The flip side, of course, is that it reseeds itself and we get to watch the finches foraging on the seeds. I’d also prefer if the Thai basil were a little more tolerant of cool nights in the spring.
Growing Genovese Basil, Sweet Italian Basil, Blue Spice Basil this year. And…just scored 500 Basil seeds from the Buffalo Seed Company. Thanks for the link! I seem to have the same problem with bolting that others mentioned. I can harvest a couple times and keep it from flowering but then it’ll shoot up stalks really tall and demand to. I use a lot of Basil throughout the harvest season. I can pizza sauce, pasta sauce, all the delicious stuff. Lest I forget pesto! Really excited to add this Grex into the garden. I’m sure I will have plenty of seeds from this exciting population to share and would totally dig on it!
I grow four different basils every year, they accompany my tomatoes. I have never, ever had any disease on basil, the only problem that happen sometimes are pests, mostly slugs when basil is young. Recently I have dicovered an amazing basil variety, it is called Everleaf Emerald Tower, and it turned out to be the best growing one, so now it is a fifth basil in my collection. Here is a link for you with some information about this one:
I haven’t started a landrace yet, but I did get that sweet basil planted. After I thinned them out today, we tried some of the leaves as a homemade pizza topping. It was okay. We have no idea what we are doing when it comes to basil or herb leaves in general. I also have catnip which is amazing as a pollinator booster, but I am afraid of making teas with odd herbs. My cat likes it though.
Catnip is fine to use in tea. It has calming qualities. I add it to a variety of other herbs in the mint family including catmint, anise hyssop, monarda, lemon balm, culinary sage, tulsi, lavender, chocolate mint, spearmint, and mojito mint.
Here is my Iraqi basil. It is visually nearly identical to the Italian but has a very interesting flavor - interesting in a good way. As far as propensity to bolting, I’m having to stay on top of it even more than the Italian to keep it picked back. And, even with a near-record cool and damp May and June, not a spot of powdery mildew on any of the 4 basils (Iraqi, Italian, Purple, and Thai).
Why not just Prune the Flowers Off? Won’t this encourage Flowering Regardless of Variety?
And while your at it, might as well eat the flowers too, they are very delcious. Maybe even breed basil for Basil Flowers? Just some food for thought.
Hmm I see, Would Grafting another Basil type help Reduce the Bolting? Like how the Rootstock of Trees affects the top Growth, Can’t we Apply the same Logic to Basil? Or is breeding a less bolting variety to only valid option?
I am a first time basil grower. I looked it up. It looks like they are native to tropical climate. My research says they can’t handle frosts well. I am in zone 8. For me, I don’t understand why going to seed is a problem. I want leaves and seeds. It looks like I am getting both. I am happy with that.
I am creating a Grex right now of basil. I was only able to find two types of Thai basil which is my absolute favorite and my second favorite is Mrs Burns Lemon Basil. So far I have selected those three varieties to be crossed in together, however I may add other varieties later as I can find varieties that have a delicious taste that is suitable to going into the cross.
Even in Southern California, basil struggles and does back somewhat in the winter, so some seeds are necessary. They also make a very fine free finch feeder if left on the plant. I’d still prefer to delay bolting from June to August or September to increase the leaf production without having to harvest quite so often.
