Basil 'Sweet Thai' Organic Herb Seeds

Overview

Sweet Thai Basil is an eastern basil used in many thai and oriental dishes and adds a spicy aniseed/basil flavour to food. It can be used raw in salads or tossed into thai curries just at the end of cooking.

It grows to 30-40cm tall and spreads to about 20cm. It has pretty purple stems and flowers but the leaves are 5cm long and green.

It makes a pretty plant as it has attractive purple stems and flowers. The leaves themselves are green, about 5cm long, oval shaped with pointed ends. It grows to between 30-40cm tall and has a spread of around 20cm. A nice neat little herb especially suited to containers either inside or outside although it can do well in a warm, sunny site outside.

The taste of fresh basil far out weighs that of shop bought as after 3-5 days basil begins to deterioate, the leaves become floppy and more importantly basil loses it's flavour. It is at it's best when freshly picked and used that day. It is best to crush the leaves to release the aroma.

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Seed qty (approx)	300
Sowing months	February, March, April, May, June
Site conditions	Sunny, sheltered but well drained soil. Does not like too much of the mid day sun. Also indoors on a windowsill or a greenhouse.
How to sow	Sow seed indoors in trays of seed compost, 6mm deep and cover with finely sieved compost or vermiculite. Cover & keep at a temperature of between 18-20°C. Keep watered and germination will take place in about 5-10 days. When the seeds have germinated, water sparingly to prevent 'damping off.' Carefully transplant each seedling to a small pot and grow on for 4 weeks. Either transplant into larger pot (about 15cm) or into garden, spacing plants every 25cm apart, in rows 25cm apart. Only plant in garden when all threat of frost has passed - late May to early June. Alternatively sow direct in soil when night time temperatures are above 13°C, June time, but the greenhouse method is more successful.
Care	Don't overwater basil but keep moist and don't water foliage. Water in the morning as evening watering can lead to 'damping off'. Pinch out growing tip 2 weeks after final transplant to encourage bushy basil plants.
Harvest	Six to eight weeks from sowing - May to October. Successional planting will produce good basil through most of the year, and each basil plant can sustain about 8 cuttings a season. Cut before flowering as this takes away from the taste.
Information	Organic Seed

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