{"product_id":"basil-classic-italian","title":"Basil Classic Italian","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOcimum basilicum 'Genovese'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eClassic Italian sweet basil — the true pesto basil\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you grow only one herb, make it this one. Classic Italian basil — the famous Genovese sweet basil — is the large-leaved, intensely fragrant variety that gives real Italian cooking its soul, and the only basil for a proper pesto. There are many basils to choose from, from lemon to Thai to little-leaved Greek, but Genovese is the giant among them: bred over generations around the Italian city of Genoa specifically for big, tender leaves and a balanced, sweet flavour with none of the bitterness that lesser basils can carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe leaves are broad, glossy, and richly green, with that unmistakable warm, sweet-spicy aroma of clove and anise that fills the kitchen the moment you tear one. A single windowsill pot perfumes a room; a row in the greenhouse keeps you in pesto, caprese salads, and torn-leaf garnishes all summer long. It's a tender annual, quick to grow from seed and quick to reward you — few things in the garden give back so much, so fast, for so little effort.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBasil loves what we love: warmth, sunshine, and good food. Treat it as the Mediterranean plant it is — keep it warm, keep it fed, and keep picking — and it will be one of the most generous things you grow. It's equally at home in a greenhouse, on a sunny patio, or on a bright kitchen windowsill, where it can be grown almost year-round.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA note on growing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSow indoors from March to May. The single most important thing to know is that \u003cstrong\u003ebasil seed needs light to germinate\u003c\/strong\u003e — so do not bury it. Scatter the seed thinly across the surface of moist seed compost and cover with only the finest dusting of vermiculite, or nothing at all. Keep it warm at 20–25°C on a sunny windowsill or in a heated propagator, and seedlings will appear within 7–14 days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the seedlings have their first three sets of leaves, pinch out the very top tip — this is the secret to a bushy, productive plant rather than a single leggy stem, and it's a habit worth keeping all season. Prick out or thin to give each plant room, and pot on into good compost. Plant out only in June, once the nights are genuinely warm, into a sheltered sunny spot or the greenhouse — basil resents cold nights and will sulk if put out too early. It also makes one of the very best kitchen-windowsill herbs, croppable nearly all year if kept warm and bright.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWater in the morning, at the base of the plant, and try to keep the leaves themselves dry — basil is prone to mildew, and water sitting on the foliage overnight is the usual cause. Keep it evenly moist (it isn't drought-tolerant) and feed occasionally through the season. Above all, \u003cstrong\u003ekeep picking\u003c\/strong\u003e: harvest the leaves regularly and pinch out any flower spikes the moment they form. The finest flavour is in the leaves before the plant flowers, so regular harvesting both delays flowering and keeps the plant producing tender new growth right through summer into autumn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere it shines\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the kitchen, Classic Italian basil is the cornerstone of so much summer cooking. Pound or blitz the fresh leaves with pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, and good olive oil for an authentic pesto alla genovese — nothing from a jar comes close to the home-made version made minutes after picking. Layer the whole leaves with ripe tomato and mozzarella for a caprese salad, scatter them torn over a finished pizza or pasta, steep them in tomato sauces, or simply lay a few leaves on bread with good oil. The flavour also freezes well — blitz with a little oil and freeze in ice-cube trays to carry a taste of summer through the winter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the windowsill or patio, a pot or two of basil is as useful as it is fragrant — always there to pick from, and a lovely thing to brush past on a warm day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Genovese sweet basil, the classic large-leaved pesto variety\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlavour:\u003c\/strong\u003e sweet, warm and aromatic — clove and anise notes, no bitterness\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlant:\u003c\/strong\u003e bushy annual, around 45–60cm, excellent in pots\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSow:\u003c\/strong\u003e March to May, indoors — surface sow, basil needs light to germinate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGermination:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7–14 days at 20–25°C\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlant out:\u003c\/strong\u003e June, once nights are warm; greenhouse, sunny spot or windowsill\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e summer into autumn — pick regularly, pinch out flowers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e pesto, caprese, tomato dishes, pasta and pizza\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant alongside\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBasil is the classic companion to the tomato — in the kitchen and in the greenhouse, where they share a love of warmth, sun, and rich moist soil, and where basil is said to help deter whitefly from tomato plants. It also makes a fine companion to chillies and peppers for the same reasons. In a herb bed it sits happily alongside other Mediterranean sun-lovers, and a pot by the back door keeps it close to hand for cooking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57887811076470,"sku":"BSL-CLC","price":1.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0716\/3566\/5206\/files\/Basil_Classic_Italian_1.jpg?v=1779016595","url":"https:\/\/www.summerwoodenplanters.com\/products\/basil-classic-italian","provider":"Summer Wooden Planters","version":"1.0","type":"link"}