General Culinary Herbs	Chives	Dill	Parsley	See also Medicinal Herbs

Basil Culture
[A/70oF/D/7-14/tp,ds,ALF/sun/18-30"]
Grows best in well-drained rich soil. Sensitive to frost. Direct sow after all danger of frost, or start indoors 4 weeks before last frost. Lightly cover seed (no more than two times the depth of the seed).
Medicinal: Basil has been used as a carminative. Research indicates that it may inhibit gastric acid secretion.
Spacing: In flats space seeds ½” apart. Thin to 2” apart and transplant in 3-4 weeks. Direct sow 3-4 seeds every 12”. Thin to one plant when plants have 4 leaves.
Germination: 5-14 days at 70-75o F. Harvest starts about 10 weeks after sowing. Basil is a pick-and-come-again herb which produces well when you pick a few leaves from a number of plants.

See our Key to Herb Cultural Notes