Exposure Full-sun
Season Warm season
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Cardinal Organic basil seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Upright plants grow to 60cm (25") tall, with strongly aromatic, oval leaves, and growth so vigorous no pinching is needed. Cardinal is very useful as a culinary basil, but wait until it blooms! Dark scarlet flowers make this variety such a show-stopper that it will dominate your herb bed or flower border. In mid-summer the plants are crowned by surprisingly tall pagoda shaped flower clusters that are fragrant and attractive to pollinators. Grow some Cardinal Organic basil in containers in your patio herb garden and enjoy the flavour and colour all summer long. Basil prefers warm weather and full sun.
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Latin
Latin
Ocimum basilicum, Holy basil is O. tenuiflora.
Family: Lamiaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Easy
We Recommend
We Recommend: Certified Organic Genovese Basil (HR1019). This is the standard by which to compare all of the other fine basil varieties. Traditional, heirloom, Italian basil is the best choice for pesto.
For Urban Gardeners: Certified Organic Dolly Basil (HR1025) has all the aroma of Genovese, but with slightly larger leaves, faster growth, and a better tolerance of the cool nighttime temperatures that can occur on balconies and rooftop gardens. Itβs also slightly better suited for container growing.
Season
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full sun
Timing
Timing
Basil grows well in containers indoors at any time of year provided you can supply enough light. For outdoor growing, sow basil seedsΒ throughout late spring for transplanting to the garden after the summer solstice. Or direct sow in early summer, once the soil has warmed up. Basil requires warm soil and full sun. Optimal temperature for germination: 21Β°C (70Β°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.
Starting
Starting
Sow seeds 1cm (Β½β) deep in sterilized seed starting mix. Basil is prone to damping off, so once seeds sprout, make sure they are adequately ventilated, and kept under very bright light. Thin to 20-25cm (8-10β³) apart. Using bottom heat speeds germination.
Growing
Growing
Use any rich, loose, well drained soil. Once plants are 15cm (6β³) tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage really bushy growth prior to harvest. Watch for signs of flower buds forming in mid-summer, and pinch these off to promote more foliage.
Harvest
Harvest
Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds.
Tear basil rather than chop with a knife because chopping tends to bruise the leaves.Β Add basil to food just before serving so as to get the full aroma and effect. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil come to the forefront.
Basil is best fresh, but can be preserved by drying or by freezing. To freeze, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in zip-lock type bags and labeled for later use. This will preserve the fresh flavour of basil for up to four months.
Seed Info
Seed Info
Usual seed life: 3 years.
Companion Planting
Companion Planting
Basil is said to improve vigour and flavour of tomatoes, planted side-by-side. It's also good with asparagus, oregano, and peppers. Basil helps repel flies, mosquitoes, and thrips.
More on Companion Planting.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
Weβre a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We donβt just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what weβve learned with others.
Gardens donβt just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact β always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earthβs stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Basil grows well in containers indoors at any time of year provided you can supply enough light. For outdoor growing, sow basil seedsΒ throughout late spring for transplanting to the garden after the summer solstice. Or direct sow in early summer, once the soil has warmed up. Basil requires warm soil and full sun. Optimal temperature for germination: 21Β°C (70Β°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.
Sow seeds 1cm (Β½β) deep in sterilized seed starting mix. Basil is prone to damping off, so once seeds sprout, make sure they are adequately ventilated, and kept under very bright light. Thin to 20-25cm (8-10β³) apart. Using bottom heat speeds germination.
Use any rich, loose, well drained soil. Once plants are 15cm (6β³) tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage really bushy growth prior to harvest. Watch for signs of flower buds forming in mid-summer, and pinch these off to promote more foliage.
Usual seed life: 3 years.
Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds.
Tear basil rather than chop with a knife because chopping tends to bruise the leaves.Β Add basil to food just before serving so as to get the full aroma and effect. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil come to the forefront.
Basil is best fresh, but can be preserved by drying or by freezing. To freeze, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in zip-lock type bags and labeled for later use. This will preserve the fresh flavour of basil for up to four months.
