I don’t like regular genovese basil, so I’m on a mission to try every variety of basil there is! I found an etsy seller that had a basil mix (physical not genetic) that I bought last year, but I haven’t had a lot of success getting anything to sprout. Not sure if it’s a seed issue or a grower issue. Unfortunately, they are away from their store, so I haven’t been able to order more. I’m hoping to grow an entire greenstalk tower of different basils, so that might result in a wide genetic cross! If they flower at the same time, I expect that will lead to a genetic basil mix!
That sounds fun! 
…just saw this thread…im growing a large selection of mixed basil, harvesting twice weekly, dehydrating and still cant make a dent. No powdery mildew, no fungus of any type thus far. Is anyone sending in seed for a GTS mix?
I have growing:
Lemon
Lime
Sweet
Genovese
Tulsi
Purple
Lettuce leaf
Globe
Thai x3
Cinnamon
From multiple seed companies, EFN, Baker Creek, Mary’s, Seed Savers Ex, Free Heirloom Seeds, Adaptation Seeds…
1 Like
a gardener who practices landrace gardening had explained to me that the type tulsi, taï…other than Genois had a dominant type that made the type Genois disappear during the crossings. 
1 Like
Oh no…will I have to grow a mix of the Genovese type by itself? I enjoy all the flavors, Tulsi type goes to seed early, maybe it wont cross…maybe herbs 
could just be a mix of the same variety, but from different places.
Following his explanation I decided to make a grex with only genovese types to keep this perfume that I prefer to tai and tulsi…
He started from 0 because his old grex was modified at the level of perfume in two seasons. However, he told me that the crossed plants had an incredible height.
2 Likes
Sounds like a way forward, ill grow more mindfully of similar flavors for next season. Thanks for sharing the information. Herbs are so important for the flavor profiles. Eating what we grow really is as important as keeping the diversity otherwise the plants can fade away. Do the basils cross polinate freely? Im thinking the seed I collect will be a mix thats not favorable? There is at least 7 different types growing together…
1 Like
You could do what Joseph Lofthouse does to maintain recessive traits in squashes: he grows the patches next to each other, but not all mixed up. That way there is some crossing in the middle, but the edges are usually mostly that phenotype. He saves seeds from the recessive mothers separately from the rest and plants them in the recessive side. That keeps the desirable recessive phenotypes available in the gene pool.
Seems like a pretty good way to keep the recessive traits around without having to grow an entirely separate patch?
I suppose, to make it even simpler, you could just plant three-quarters seed from the recessive mothers and one-quarter seed from the dominant mothers. That way, you’d probably get a mix of about half and half.
2 Likes
nice idea !
they pollinate easily because they attract lots of bees
1 Like
So varieties like:
Genovese
Napolitano
Sweet
Large Leaf
Purple
???
yes with some little leaf if you found this, like “Fin vert”,
1 Like
Does tulsi/holy basil cross with other types? It comes up as Ocimum sanctum or Ocimum tenuiflorum while other basils are Ocimum basilicum. Just asking “for a friend”… 
I find genovese & purple types to have similar flavours so I don’t mind if they mix. I also grow Thai types but I don’t let them flower at the same time.
2 Likes
there are interspecific cross-breeding possibilities in Ocimum…
Often the other species are used as a parent to create perennial basilicas.
With their very different fragrance it could be interesting to cross them with basil Thai, Lemon, Cinnamon…
because they are often very high and vigorous
good luck to your “friend” 
2 Likes
Zut! At least I know and can plan accordingly.
I’ve got pistou running through my veins, I can’t mess with the genovese flavours… but you’re right, maybe with the Thai.
2 Likes
Mostly happy seedlings showing lots of diversity. Will be planting these out in about a week when the weather turns hotter. First round of direct seeded basil is just starting to germinate now. Seeing the diversity in the Mrihani x Opal cross makes me very glad I adjusted my plans to include it. Thanks for the recommendation, @stephane_rave !
Mrihani x Opal F4 / Lofthouse grex
Italian mountain / Iraqi reehan / Persian / Georgian landrace
Direct seeded basil germinating
7 Likes
it seems very varied and colorful…if you want to try a seed exchange this fall with my grex I’m interested!
3 Likes
Hadn’t responded because I’m not really sure how much seed I’ll get this first year. So far, results are mixed, but I should get seed from at least a couple plants of each variety. Transplants are in general doing better than direct seeding (to be expected in my climate), but there are some standout individuals from both.
Because my primary goal this year is maximum diversity of crossing, I decided to pinch back flowers on the earliest plants until a majority of the plants can bloom at the same time. I still have plenty of time to produce viable seed. Hopefully this won’t reduce my seed increase much, but it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to accept.
Main patch of transplants. So far the most consistently robust plants are from the Persian variety, but there are strong individuals from Italian mountain sweet, Lofthouse grex, Iraqi reehan, and Georgian landrace, too. Almost all of my Mrihani x Opal seedlings have either withered or struggled mightily.
The best individual Mrihani x Opal transplant.
A strong direct seeded Persian plant, and a few Lofthouse grex seedlings that should also produce seed.
A very strong direct seeded Iraqi reehan plant.
7 Likes
Here in western Illinois zone 6a, i have yet to see any basil volunteers either in my garden or in the larger Giving Gardens. Basil grows well here in the summer heat, but we always start it in seed blocks and then plant out the seedlings. I just planted some Genovese basil that i cloned from Giving Gardens plants. I think there’s still time left for the clones to flower, assuming they survive this hot dry spell. I did this last year, let my clones go to seed, and scattered the seed this year, but nothing came up from it. I guess I will just keep trying.
2 Likes
I was ready to give up on Basil. Always struggling to get something going, scribbly plants that go to seed too soon. Somehow i ordered Mrihani x Opal and i’m pleasantly surprised by it’s vigorous growth. Still early blooming. But i’m happy to give it another shot coming year with a lot more seeds.
4 Likes
I experimented with direct seeding basil for the first time this year alongside transplants. I got very low germination rates (<5%), and maybe 20% of those have survived to flower. Only a couple plants are robust enough to compare with my transplants out of hundreds of seeds planted in multiple sowings, but I’m hopeful they will provide genetics that perform better next year.
Did you broadcast seed (scatter without covering), or prepare the seed bed in some way? I planted mine in very shallow furrows made with a trowel and covered with ~1/4” of soil.
1 Like