Basil 'Red Rubin'

Ocimum basilicum

How to grow Basil 'Red Rubin'

  • Full Sun

  • Medium

  • Pinch or cut the leaves off as required, but always from the top. Try to thin out to keep only the strongest plants.
  • If growing Basil in containers or indoor pots then add a small amount of fertilizer every month or so.
  • Water every week (more often if growing in outdoor containers or indoors).
  • When watering, make sure to water at the base of the plant avoiding showering the leaves and stems.
Enjoys a full sun position in your garden and remember to water moderately. Red Rubin is generally regarded as a half hardy plant, so it will need protecting in periods of cold weather. Red Rubin needs a loamy, sandy and silty soil with a ph of 6.0 to 7.5 (weakly acidic soil to weakly alkaline soil).

Growing Red Rubin from seed

Red Rubin basil needs to be grown in full sun in warm, well-drained soil – sprinkle a thin amount of seed in your container or garden bed then cover thinly with finely sieved compost and keep the soil moist but not water logged.

Aim to sow 0.12 inches (0.3 cm) deep and try to ensure a gap of at least 0.5 inches (1.27 cm). For optimal germination, soil temperature should be a minimum of 10°C / 50°F.

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

Transplanting Red Rubin

All basils, including Red Rubin are tender annuals which are easy to grow, but are very susceptible to cold weather. They should be planted in late spring after all danger of frost is past. Can be grown in containers in full sun.

Red Rubin is half hardy, so ensure you wait until all danger of frost has passed in your area before considering planting outside.

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

Harvesting Red Rubin

Try to harvest leaves before any flowering occurs, or they will taste bitter.

This variety tends to mature and be ready for harvest in mid summer.

Basil Red Rubin Etymology

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.

Red Rubin folklore & trivia

Jewish folklore says that basil adds strength while fasting.