Basil 'Magical Michael'

Pinch terminal shoots to encourage branching.
Harvest leaves before flowering occurs, or they will be bitter.

Magical Michael likes a position of full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Magical Michael is thought of as half hardy, so it will require protection in frosts and low temperatures. Ideally plant in loamy, sandy and silty soil and try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 6.0 and 7.5 as Magical Michael likes to be in weakly acidic soil to weakly alkaline soil.

Cover with finely sieved compost.

Sow at a depth of approx. 0.12 inches (0.3 cm) and aim for a distance of at least 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) between Basil plants. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 10°C / 50°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Magical Michael about 20 days before your last frost date.

Plant out when frost risk has passed.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Magical Michael is a half hardy plant.

By our calculations, you should look at planting out Magical Michael about 21 days after your last frost date.

This variety tends to be ready for harvesting by mid summer.

The word basil means “king” in Greek – it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross.

Jewish folklore says that basil adds strength while fasting.