Basil 'Red'

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

A full sun position will ensure your plant thrives and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Red is thought of as half hardy, so remember to protect this plant from frosts and low temperatures. Red 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 Red about 20 days before your last frost date.

Plant out when frost risk has passed.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 12°C / 54°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Red is a half hardy plant.

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