American basil 'Lime'

Ocimum americanum

How to grow American basil 'Lime'

  • Full Sun

  • Medium

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

Plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Lime is thought of as half hardy, so it will need cloching or fleece protection when the temperature dips. Lime tends to grow best in a soil ph of between 6.0 and 7.5 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil.

Growing Lime from seed

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 Lime about 20 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Lime

Plant out when frost risk has passed.

Plant basil where it gets at least six hours of sun.

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

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

Harvesting Lime

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

American basil Lime 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.

Lime folklore & trivia

Jewish folklore says that basil adds strength while fasting.

Other Names for American basil 'Lime'

Basil