Sweet Basil Seeds — Ocimum basilicum

Fresh Sweet Basil for Summer Cooking

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) brings tender green leaves and that unmistakable fresh summer fragrance to the kitchen garden. Pick a handful for homemade pesto, tear a few leaves over ripe tomatoes, or add them to pizza just before serving.

Grow this warm-season annual in a sunny, sheltered herb patch or a pot close to the kitchen, ready for regular picking through the warmer months.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 🌿 Fragrant foliage — tender leaves for fresh summer cooking
• 🍅 Perfect with tomatoes — lovely in salads, sauces and sandwiches
• 🥣 Homemade pesto — grow your own leafy supply
• 🪴 Suitable for pots — a handy choice for sunny patios and small gardens
• ✂️ Responds to picking — pinch out growing tips to encourage branching
• ☀️ A summer annual — thrives with warmth and shelter

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Sow under cover in spring with warmth, or directly outside in late spring and summer once frosts have passed and the soil has warmed. Basil is frost tender and dislikes cold nights, so avoid planting it out too early.

Sow approximately 3–5 mm deep in seed-raising mix. Keep moist but not waterlogged. Germination usually takes around 5–14 days at approximately 20–25°C; cooler conditions can delay emergence.

Transplant when seedlings are large enough to handle, harden off gently, and plant approximately 20–30 cm apart in fertile, free-draining soil. Choose a sunny, sheltered position. Use a pot with drainage holes if container growing.

Water regularly, especially in pots, and avoid letting plants dry out completely. Once plants have several pairs of true leaves, pinch the growing tip just above a pair of leaves to encourage bushier growth. Remove flower buds if your priority is continued leaf production.

Harvest small amounts regularly once plants are established, leaving plenty of foliage for regrowth. Use leaves fresh for the best fragrance, add towards the end of cooking, or freeze as pesto for later. Make a further sowing during warm weather for younger plants later in the season.

What’s in the Packet

Each packet contains 100 Sweet Basil seeds (Ocimum basilicum)

📄 Want to go even deeper? The CHBotanics Propagation from Seeds Manual — Professional Edition — a comprehensive digital PDF covering sowing times, germination, spacing, and much more across dozens of flower and vegetable species, is available as an instant download. 🌱😊