Today, I’m sharing gardening advice on the types of basil for backyard gardens. I’m a huge fan of fresh basil. Basil can used in my tomato sauce, salads, and used in infused water with strawberries or cucumbers. It can also be used on pizza, pasta and other dishes. It really take the flavor of food up a notch or two.
I start my basil seeds in the winter, and than transfer my plants into the garden in the spring. If sowing seeds isn’t your think, purchase a few plants from your local garden center. Whatever you do, just grow some fresh basil! It really enhances the flavor of feeds and water.
Basil is easy to grow, both in containers, raised beds or in row gardens. It loves fun sun, but is susceptible to slugs, snails, aphids and Japanese beetles. So, be prepared to keep your plants healthy. I’ve been blessed, I haven’t encountered any problems with my basil plants so far. I’ve been growing basil in my garden for about 10 years.
Requirements to Grow Basil:
- Wait until the temperatures are at least 60 degrees or higher to plant in the garden
- Plant in a sunny location. Basil needs at least 6 hours of sun per day.
- Add compost to your planting location.
- Harvest your basil often. Harvesting will allow the plant to grow bushy and increase production.
- Remove any flowers from the plant. Allowing the plant to flower reduces the flavor.
Types of Basil for Backyard Gardens:
Sweet Basil – Sweet Basil finds a place in my garden every year. It’s what I preserve and use to make my infused water. I plant Sweet and Genovese. Both are classic. The plants grow about 1 – 2 feet.
Purple Basil – Purple Basil is a sweet basil with beautiful purple leaves. It has a strong spicy flavor. It grows anywhere from 18 – 24 inches tall.
Lemon Basil – Lemon Basil is great for tea lovers. It’s also good in vinaigrettes, marinades, lemonade, ice tea and salads. It can grow up to 2 feet.
Greek Basil – Greek Basil is a compact version of basil. It only grows to about 10 inches. So, it’s perfect for containers or borders. It’s tasty on pizza, pasta, and bruschetta.
Thai Basil – Thai Basil is another favorite of mine. I love it in stir-fry, salads and soups. It grows to about 2 feet. It reminds me of Sweet Basil, but the leaves are smaller and the plant more dense.
Dark Opal – If you want a splash of color, and a tasty variety of basil, grow the Dark Opal. It has beautiful dark burgundy leaves with pink flowers. It smells wonderful too.
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I use basil in infused water and my tomato sauce. Preserving basil for use during the winter is a must for me. I freeze mine by finely chopping the basil, placing it in olive oil in an ice cube tray and freezing it. Once the cubes are frozen, I remove the cubes from the tray and place them in a freezer bag.
Last, you can also dry basil. I hang my basil in sprays. Once it is dry, you can remove it and crumble it into pieces. Store in an airtight jar. You can also dry basil in a paper bag. See my post on drying basil and parsley.
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