- Pinch terminal shoots to encourage branching.
- Harvest leaves before flowering occurs, or they will be bitter.
- Soils needs to be kept moist at all times when kept indoors. Doesn’t handle drought at all.
Plant in a location that enjoys
full sun and remember to
water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Minette is thought of as
half hardy, so it will need cloching or fleece protection when the temperature dips. Minette 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.
Look to ensure a distance
0.5 inches (1.27 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least
0.12 inches (0.3 cm) deep. Soil temperature should be kept higher than
10°C / 50°F to ensure good germination.
By our calculations, you should look at sowing Minette about 20 days before your last frost date.
- Plant out when frost risk has passed.
- Will tolerate partial sun.
- For square-foot gardening, plant 4 per square if you plan to harvest continually, or 1 per square if letting the plant grow to maturity
Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Minette is a half hardy plant.
By our calculations, you should look at planting out Minette about 21 days after your last frost date.
Pinch off flowers regularly to improve leaf flavour and encourage bushy growth.
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.