Thai Basil

Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora

Thai basil is a member of the mint family. It has a sweet flavour with hints of anise, liquorice and clove. It is popular in Southeast Asia, and is generally used fresh in recipes. Thai basil plants need at least six hours of direct sunlight to grow well. Keep it well-watered but don’t water the leaves, as they will become yellow and drop off.

Growing calendar for Thai basil

Nat Mady

Nat Mady. Photo: Sara Heitlinger

About

Seed Guardian, Cordwainers Garden

I’m a part of Cordwainers Garden. This year we’ve dedicated a plot to seed-saving for this project. I grow my own vegetables because I really enjoy growing things, and being able to grow things that...
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Why I grow it
I like growing herbs to cook with and it’s a nice one that you can have raw, add to a salad, the flowers are really pretty. I think the bees quite like the flowers because they’re purple flowers, and it’s a really nice fragrant herb.

Where the seeds came from
The seeds originally came from a packet of seeds that I bought, but I’ve been saving them from plants I’ve grown.

How to grow
The seeds take quite a while to germinate and have to be at quite a high temperature. So I usually germinate it indoors in a heated propagator. Sometimes there are seeds that don’t work and you have to sow them again. But I had one successful batch, so I just separated those out and then planted some outside and some in a little greenhouse.
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Nat on Thai Basil