Basil 'Greek'

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

Add a small amount of fertiliser every month or so to any pot plants. Water at the base of the plant avoiding showering the leaves and stems.

Basil will grow all year round indoors but outdoor plants should be dug up and brought indoors before the first fall frosts if you want to extend the plants growing season

Harvesting:
Basil is a pick and come again crop. Pick a few leaves off a number of plants, harvest the top most leaves first. .

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Greek is thought of as half hardy, so remember to protect this plant from frosts and low temperatures. Greek needs a loamy, sandy and silty soil with a ph of 6.0 to 7.5 (weakly acidic soil to weakly alkaline soil).

Cover with finely sieved compost.

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.12 inches (0.3 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 10°C / 50°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Greek 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 Greek is a half hardy plant.

By our calculations, you should look at planting out Greek 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.

Greco